Lyra: A struggle
by SkyCoat
Summary: First proper fanfic. An alternative story to Lyra and Bon bon and their struggle to find their places as the people around them shift and change along with their feelings towards eachother. Some shipping to be expected ;) Reviews would be appreciated, any critisism welcome :D
1. Prologue

Prologue

Lyra had always been different. From as far back as she could remember she had felt like she was on the outside. She didn't fit. It often felt as if everyone else had some kind of understanding. That they were in on something that she never understood. Because of this she was alone.

Growing up hadn't been easy for her. Her parents had split when she was just a filly. It had been a divorce where both parents took what they could from each other. Everything, except the small, confused filly. Neither parent wanted responsibility. Neither wanted her as a day to day reminded of how poorly they had done in life, a reflection of their mistakes and their shambles of a marriage. Lyra was unloved and when the final moving boxes had been taken and the last court hearings had been concluded Lyra ended up in an Orphanage. She was left with nothing, nothing but painful questions, nightmares and uncertain fear of what could be next. She was soon to find out her fear was justified.


	2. Chapter 1

Upon leaving the final court hearing, the one in which Lyra heard both parents argue how they would not possibly take her and openly agreed to sign forms to send her to an orphanage she was greeted by a horrible sight. There was a carriage waiting outside the courthouse. Standing facing her was a thin, older mare. She was Grey in colour with a darker grey mane which was tied up tightly into a bun. Her face was stern and unemotional looking. Lyra instantly didn't like or trust her. But she also instantly knew that the mare was waiting for her. The mare slowly walked forward, looked Lyra up and down then sighed.

"_My name is Matron_"

Her voice was sharp and reflected disapproval.

"_I…I'm Lyra. Are…are you going to take m-"_

"_Speak up child_!"

"_Are you going to take me away_?"

"_Yes I'm part of your new family, now get into the cart_."

_The word family sounded wrong in her voice_ thought Lyra.

Lyra got into the cart and an uncomfortable 3 hours later they approached the Orphanage. Matron has insisted that the little unicorn be silent and still. Anytime Lyra did anything to disturb this she was given a stern stare. Feeling the carriage slow she glanced out the window and felt her spirits fall as she sighted the building.

_Will I be living there? It looks…wrong._

The building was located outside of Ponyville to avoid any questions being asked. It was set near the Everfree forest and looked like a two story asylum. Plain grey walls rose up and small windows were dotted across two floors. The roof was black slate and looked like it was a hazard to walk under. There was a tall fence that surrounded the compound, unlike the walls of the Orphanage it was made from shining metal. It looked new and sturdy. Though home had been tough on her Lyra instantly missed it

The cart went through a large plain metal gate and pulled up near the entrance of the Orphanage. This was home. This was her new life. Lyra wasn't ready to accept it. But all too soon Matron was opening the door and in a sharper voice than before telling her to get out of the cart. It was dark, it had been a long trip.

Lyra was led through the entrance into a dull interior. The floor was made from plain wooden boards and the walls were grey brick like on the outside. It smelled of damp wood. She didn't have much time to take it in as Matron led her straight to a room at the end of the corridor beside the staircase to the next floor. She was pushed in and the door was closed. A small scraping sound indicated that a bolt had been locked on the other side. She found her bed and alone and exhausted feel asleep nearly instantly.

Lyra woke from her fitful sleep to find something poking her in the ribs. She opened her eyes to see a small beige coloured filly with a pink and dark blue mane staring at her curiously.

"_Are you ok?"_ the beige filly asked nervously.

There was no reply.

"_It's just you were moving a lot and making noises. It sounded like you was having a nightmare or something"_

"_Where am I_?"

The filly looked confused at the question.

"_You're at the orphanage_."

Hearing this instantly woke Lyra up and all the previous days memories came flooding back. She was at the Orphanage. A look of distress must have crossed her face because the Beige pony's expression changed from confused to concern.

"_I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…my name's Sweetie Drops. But most peoples call me bon bon. Are you ok?"_

Not wanting to dwell on whether she was ok or not Lyra managed to meet the gaze of the other pony. She saw genuine concern and a friendliness that helped to stir a response from her. Shyly she engaged the beige filly.

"_Why do…why do they they call you bon bon_?"

"_I dunno, somsone said my cutie mark looked like candy wrappers and came up with the name. It got around and now I'm stuck with it_."

Lyra couldn't help but feel a little bit lifted as she talked to this filly. The corners of her mouth raised slightly into a small smile.

"_I'm Lyra. I haven't got my Cutie mark yet_."

The door banged 3 times then the sliding grating noise of the bolt being drawn was herd and the door flung open. Matron was standing there stern and disproving. She didn't look any different from the previous day.

"_Breakfast_" She said started to walk upstairs.

The two fillies walked tentivly together through the door. Following their noses to where breakfast was being served. Bon bon leading the way and Lyra a few steps behind. Whatever was ahead Lyra was a little more comfortable having a new friend to lead the way.

She learned quickly to adapt to the life of the Orphanage. It was a routine, a daily routine which was carried out. The days were filled mainly with chores and basic schooling. The staff were strict and any break of routine was del with severely. She began to cherish when their room door was locked at night. It was their only quiet private time. Her strength to continue came from her only friend, Bon bon.

Slowly the years passed. She saw many fillies come and go, abuse was common place and many young ponies just couldn't take it. Either they did it themselves or staff went too far. No one ever knew because they would disappear without a trace and soon a new unwanted was introduced. That's what they thought of themselves, unwanted was what they were and unwanted was how they felt. Lyra stayed strong though, she found her strength in her only friend Bon Bon. They stayed together throughout the years. When one showed up at night with new bruises or scratched then the other consoled and took care of her. They were dependant on each other and Lyra knew she wouldn't survive without Bon bon. One morning things changed.

"_Lyra, Bon bon, Mr Snaretrap wants to see you in his office_" Matron said flatly to the pair.

The two shared a look with each other. From experience this could only mean new bruises. They talked in hushed voices as they slowly walked to his office.

"_I'm scared_"

"_Stay calm Lyra, he's never asked for us both. This could be anything_"

"_Could be anything?! You know better, you're still recovering from that bruise he put on your neck last week! I can guess what he wants this time…"_

"_Relax would you! He won't do anything if we stick together, besides it's too early for him to have started drinking_"

Before they knew it they were outside his door. Lyra mumbled something inaudible. Dreading what was next bon bon knocked on the door half hoping he wasn't inside. But he was.

"_Come in!"_ came the reply

They walked in and were greeted by 3 Colts. Two were pegasi wearing suits whilst standing over a short fat White Unicorn with a mane of dark green. This colt was Mr Snaretrap, the curator of the Orphanage. Everything about him was short, his snout his mane his horn and his temper. Grubby was often used to describe him amongst the orphanage children. The two young mares knew him well. He was cruel and uncaring, often turning a blind eye to the abuse and occasionally taking part. The two Colts accompanying him were unknown to Lyra and Bon bon.

"_Girls come in_" Said Mr Snaretrap impatiently.

"_You're too old for this institution to house you anymore. These forms here are the forms declaring that you're being released from our care. I have already signed them_."

He was blunt and to the point, shocking the two friends. They had never expected this. They had dreamed and fantasied about leaving but now being presented with the choice they were nervous. Was this some kind of trick? Who were the two other Colts?

"_Well come on sign the forms_." The words were impatient and demanding.

Bon bon came around first. Opening her mouth she only managed one short question.

"_We're out_?"

"_Only if you sign the forms. In the name of Celestia have you not been listening_?"

Bon bon eyed all three Ponies suspiciously. She was all too familiar with the character of Mr Snaretrap. He was devious, selfish and underhanded. Under his management the Orphanage had become what he liked to call "efficient" And now here he was, holding papers in front of her and Lyra, trying to convince them that they were entirely free to leave.

The colt on the right spoke, as he sensed their apprehension.

"_I come from social services as does my partner here. We can assure you that these forms are in order. All you have to do is sign them and then we have arranged for you to stay in a half-way house in Ponyville for a month."_

His voice sounded reassuring and honest. It seemed their dreams had finally come true. They were finally getting out. Excitement overcame them and less than 10 minutes later the forms had been signed and they were declared independent. They walked to their room. Bon Bon picked up what few items she had, some clothes and a small assortment of ribbons. Lyra left everything. She didn't want to remember anything of this place. She was already suppressing so much of it. Erasing it from memory by burying it deep down. With it gone the pain was gone.

They walked out to find the cart waiting and eagerly jumped in. It seemed that they had survived. They had made it. They could put it all behind them and move onto better things. Lyra was feeling better than she could ever remember. She was optimistic, little was she aware of how short lived this would be.


	3. Chapter 2

Neither Lyra nor Bon bon said much on the way to the halfway house. Neither of them fully believed what had happened. It had all been so fast. But it was sinking in and reality was beginning to hit home. It all seemed so strange to Lyra, she couldn't think of anything to say. Instead she nudged closer to the beige pony beside her and nestled her head against her. Both were silent, engrossed in their own thoughts on leaving the orphanage. _We've been there so long. We've been through so much. Now what? _Lyras thoughts weren't very positive so she decided to see what Bon Bon thought.

"_What do you suppose is next?"_

"_Hard to say, still trying to work out what's happening now really. What do you think our new home will be like?"_

"_At this rate anything will be an improvement. Though, it's only temporary right?"_

"_Oh yeah that's right. Suppose we could get jobs and get our own place."_

At the mention of owning their own house Lyra sat up. The thought pleasantly played about in her mind. _We could… We could own our own place._ An excited grin appeared on her face.

Bon bon had always liked when Lyra smiled. It was a rare occasion but when it happened it always gave her a jolt and made her feel more secure. Quickly her thoughts were reigned in and she returned to thinking about the halfway house.

"_You know I've never heard of this place before."_

Lyras grin vanished.

"_You don't think it's all some kind of trap do you? You don't think we've been tricked? We could be headed anywhere."_

"_Calm down Lyra, like you said, anything will be an improvement. Besides that Pegasus from social services seemed genuine enough. I believed him when he said all that he did."_

"_Well I still don't trust Snaptrap. You know what he's like. Remember last year when those four fillies arrived in the same week. You remember they came in and Matron locked them in the room beside ours for two days? And when they were let out they had to be sent to the nurses. And then there was the small blue Pegasus that spilled the water…"_

Snaptrap had made sure everyone was watching when he beat the small blue Pegasus for spilling her bucket of water. The sounds of her cries for help in vain still reverberated through Bon bon. But worse were when the cries stopped and the silence was only broken by the sound of Snaptraps stick being brought down hard. The filly was sent to the infirmary but the nurses had gone home early. No one got to her until morning. She had died at some point in the night, no one could say when. But they all knew she suffered before she passed. Bones broken and ugly cuts were the handiwork of Snaptrap. Once the small broken body was removed the other fillies were left to clean up the mess.

"_Yeah. I remember what he did But all the same we can't be getting any worse than what we had."_

Lyra didn't sound convinced and a worried look had crept back into her eyes. Soon enough however they reached the Half way house. It was located a mile out from Ponyville and had originally been a large bed and breakfast hotel. The two mares sighted the building and their fears about what was install for them dissolved away. It was a two story building with yellow walls and large clear windows. White frames split each window into four sections and around the building there was a large garden in which grew rows and rows of flowers. Flowers of every colour and kind were seen, some seemed a tad overgrown but it wasn't wild. The cart stopped and the two mares jumped out eagerly, both wanting to stretch out their legs after being sat in the cart for so long.

Lyra waited for Bon bon to grab her things before going any further, once everything was off the cart it hurriedly left. The two stared at the house for a moment more. Bon bon started stepping forward, approaching the gravel pathway that split the flowers and the grass garden and led around the right out of sight. Glancing back at Lyra she gestured her to follow.

"_Come on Lyra, we can't see how good or bad it is if we never go inside. Though it does look promising doesn't it"_

"_Yeah I guess so. Coming up right behind you" _

The path led to a big wooden door. At some point it had been painted bright red but it was beginning to fade and peel in spots. Bon Bon tentatively raised one hoof and knocked lightly on the door. No reply came so she knocked again, this time with more force. A voice could be heard behind the door.

"_Yes, yes I'm coming!"_

It sounded like the voice of a Colt. The door swung open to reveal a yellow pegasus with a bright green mane.

"_Greetings knockers of my door. May your assistance be acquired by me in any way?"_

His voice was friendly and sounded like it had a small accent which had been slowly worn away.

"_Umm I think so. My name's Bon bon and this is Lyra, we've come from the orphanage-"_

"_Ahh yes of course! How frivolous of me. Terribly sorry but I was expecting you later, of course now it is sooner and also currently now which makes your arrival early in two time spaces. Oh What a talent that is! I'm verbally known as Lance and I run this ermm establishment."_

Both bon bon and Lyra stared blankly at this very peculiar pony.

"_Well do come in, I won't have you waiting until you're on time. Doing that would be highly rude of me, and I'm not rude. I'm Lance."_

As Lance turned and cantered further down the hallway the two got a glance of his Cutie mark. It was a small golden key. Giving each other unsure stares they slowly walked across the threshold, once through the door they began to move through the hallway and into a large Kitchen area that was also apparently used as the main eating area. As Lyra glanced around the room she found herself liking what she saw. _Well this is defiantly an improvement on the mess hall we used to eat in._Any previous doubt about this all being a trap were quickly dissolving.

There was a large oak table in the centre of the room with at least twelve chairs surrounding it. Above the table hung a bright white candle which somehow illuminated the vast room. There were cupboards everywhere and a large sink by a window which looked out into the back garden. On the walls hung some paintings, mainly of landscapes and one of a farm, the name of which was too faint to make out. At the far end of the room was a medium sized fireplace which looked like it was used often.

"_I'm assuming you're both rather hungry?"_ Lance asked in a way that made it seem like he knew the answer. Not giving them a chance to reply to his rhetorical question he began to walk through a door into a small pantry. "_Well not a problem, I'll soon have your hunger organ full and happy. Please take a seat at the table, I won't be long. Oh and try not to sit on the third chair on the right. It has a bad attitude and tends to break when people sit on it. Don't bother trying to convince it otherwise it doesn't listen to reason."_

The two ponies took a moment to absorb what had been said. Then without a word they grabbed two chairs opposite each other. Lyra was seated on the right side of the table. She had made sure to avoid the third chair. Once comfortable she looked up at Bon bon.

"_Well he seems…friendly"_

"_Yes…why do you suppose he speaks like that?"_

"_Dunno, is voice sounded kinda funny too don't you think?"_

"_Some kind of accent I suppose. Wonder what a Pegasus pony is doing running a half-way house?"_

"_Maybe it's his special talent or something. The key could be the room keys or I dunno."_

Although the girls had been in a secluded orphanage most of their lives they hadn't been fully uneducated. They had a basic grasp of the geography of Equestria and many other things such as the various roles of Royalty and the different tribes of ponies. Though they hadn't been afforded a proper education they understood that Pegasi worked in the weather business generally. Or anything that involved not being solely stuck to the ground.

"_Perhaps he prefers being on the ground. I'm sure some Pegasi do. Maybe Cloudsdale threw him out." _

"_Suppose they threw him out for being so strange"_ Concluded Lyra.

Before they could carry on with any more of their conversation Lance returned with a platter of food.

"_You'll have to excuse the apple pies not being of a satisfactory temperature. I was going to adjust their temperatures for your arrival but they'll taste just as good cold I'm sure. As for the salad that's just something I ram jammed together there now. Well go on tuck in"_

The two happily started eating the food placed in front of them. Out of respect for Lance they paced themselves trying not to eat it all at once. Hoping to show that they appreciated the effort he was making. No matter how hungry they were.

Between bites Bon bon asked Lance the odd question. Hoping to gain a little insight into the background of the Pegasus. Although it seemed like polite conversation it was her way in trying to gauge how much they ought to trust this strange pony.

"_Lance I hope you don't mind me asking but your cutie mark seems…" _She struggled to find the right word.

"_Unbefitting, unsuited, incorrect, confusing, strangely shaped like a key_?" Lance offered up.

"_Well…It just seems…odd, in that you run this place but have a Key"_

"_I comprehend your words and will explain the long and tragic story that became of Lance, the gliding Pegasus" _

He held their interest now. They began to finish up their pies and then gave Lance their full attention, both with curious looks on their faces.

"_I wasn't originally chosen to mind this house of semi wholeness. I was originally one of the Gatekeepers to the archives of Star Swirl the Bearded."_

He ended his sentence with a dramatic pose of what could only be assumed was supposed to represent Star Swirls beard.

"_What happened?" Bon bon asked, intrigued by his strange gestures._

"_Well I used to check all the gates were locked at night. It wasn't a job of particular difficulty. There were 7 gates I had to check, wait no there were 9. Hang on let me count. No defiantly 6. If I remember incorrectly then I can assume my correctness in saying that there certainly couldn't possibly not have been 12. Ah it matters not. Well it does but not to you or the story. Well that's not correct it is the story. So anyway I used to check the gates from bottom to the top, the last gate being Star Swirls archives. Then once all the gates were checked and locked I enjoyed a lovely flight from the top of the tower to my house. That is rather until the most unfortunate and distressing of days. Night actually now that I think about it. I crashed into another Pegasus or they crashed into me. Either way I broke my right wing in a way that made full healing impossible. I'm unable to fly anymore. It also allegedly did damage to my head organ. Couldn't do my duty and can't do anything but glide on this wing."_

He held up both wings and comparing the two there was a noticeable difference. Where one stretched straight up the right wing only reached about a 90 degree angle.

"_That's simply awful" exclaimed Bon bon._

"_Don't say that to my wing, his names sherbert and he's sensitive."_

"_What? No I meant the accident not your wing."_

"_Oh I see, well yes it was rather distressing but there you have it. It happened at least six hundred and fifty four days ago so it's all in the completed section of time. Speaking of time, look how late the time teller is telling me it is. And I'm telling you that it's telling me it's late_." With this he stood up and opened the nearest cupboard, inside were a selection of numbered keys.

"_Here you go, I've prepared the nicest rooms for both of you_."

"_Rooms_?" Lyra asked not realising that Lance was unaware that they had lived together since they were fillies.

"_Yes rooms, the best ones, you don't want the worst ones do you? I can give you them but I can't promise they'll welcome you."_

"_Oh no, we'll take the ones you've prepared thank you. I must be tired sorry_."

With that they took the keys and headed to find their respective rooms. They found them after venturing upstairs and to the end of the corridor, the walls were all oak and the floor was lined with a carpet that looked like it used to be bright red but years of use had taken its toll. Their doors were opposite each other. They shared a stare before into their separate rooms.

_**Lyra stood alone in a dark cave. She instantly became aware of something watching her but glancing around she couldn't find the watcher. She trembled then started to run. She ran as fast as she could desperately trying to get rid of the feeling that she was being watched. She ran and she ran until at the end of the tunnel she was confronted by a large door. She knew that going inside was a bad idea but she had to be rid of the fear she was feeling. She opened the door and stepped through to the other side slamming it shut.**_

_**She turned around and saw two ponies with their back to her. She recognised them. **_

"_**M….Mother…Father?"**_

_**The Ponies heads twisted around with a violent jerk. They stared at her with blank eyes and mouths gaping.**_

"_**Unwanted. Unloved. Burden to us. Go back to your real home."**_

_**The voices came from them but their mouths didn't move. Then with a fast slam they both hit the roof and began to drag towards Lyra. She was terrified, too scared to move. Then she saw a door and ran to it. Desperately trying to get it open as her parents bodies slowly dragged towards her. The door opened to her relief but somepony was in her way. She looked up to see Matron towering above her. She screamed and Matrons hoof came crashing**__**down whilst she screamed "Fillies should not make any noise whilst doing their chores!" **_

Lyra woke in a cold sweat. She still felt the fear of the nightmare and shot glances all around her room. It was a few seconds before it sunk in that Matron wasn't about to beat her. And that her parents were nowhere to be seen. She calmed a little. Then as quietly as she could she got out of her bed, left her room and went into Bon Bons.


	4. Chapter 3

A knock at the door and Lyra woke.

"_Lyra come on! Up up up!_" came the muffled but excited voice of Bon Bon.

Lyra grumbled and snuggled herself deeper into her bed sheets closing her eyes in a vain attempt to get to sleep again. She had been dreaming about being a super hero with Bon Bon as her sidekick. The door opened in Bon Bon ran in and using her mouth she grabbed one of the duvet corners and sent it flying onto the ground. She giggled as she watched Lyra retract from the cold trying in vain to find the missing duvet.

"_Come on sleepy it's time to get up! Big day todaaay!"_

"_Ok ok I'm up"_ Was the response she got.

"_Hurry up, grab a shower and I'll meet you down stairs for _breakfast!" Bon Bons voice was full of energy. She was nearly through the door as she finished her sentence.

Today was going to be an important day for them. Today was the day they went into Ponyville and tried to find jobs. They had been at the half-way house for nearly a week now. Without chores to do or Matron banging on their doors in the early hours of the morning they had found themselves falling into a routine of sleeping late and only getting up for food. Lyra had crept into Bon Bons room to sleep the first two nights. She had been having bad dreams about everything being a lie and a joke. As she got used to the house the nightmares had stopped and she began to find herself enjoying the large comfy bed Lance had given her. Today they were up early, they had an important mission to carry out and they were both wanting to start early.

They had taken a small trip into Ponyville before, it was a sort of exploration trip. It was on this trip that they realised that they needed something to spend their time doing, everypony had jobs and they often saw ponies spending their bits. They wanted to do the same, they wanted to start enjoying what the town had to offer. So on their walk back to the house they discussed it and came to the conclusion that they needed an occupation each. Upon telling Lance he was ecstatic. He had explained that some ponies just fall into a rut of doing nothing and that there can be some dire side effects from it. He was glad they were trying to move on and find their way.

Lyra groggily rubbed her eyes with her hooves. She had learned that she enjoyed sleeping late. Most days she'd happily trade breakfast for a few extra hours inside the warm bed. But she was also excited about today. Today they were going to start earning bits. Bits she could use to buy what she wanted. On their one small trip into Ponyville Lyra had spotted something in the window of a shop called _The Drum and Snare. _Something she knew she wanted immediately.It was a small Lyre that looked to be painted a bright yellow. It matched her Cutie mark she had gotten many years ago. The thought of how she got it made her shiver.

It had been several months since Lyra had arrived at the orphanage. She had survived by keeping her head down and her mouth shut. She never spoke to anyone apart from Bon Bon and she avoided any sign of trouble at all costs. Of course the orphanage staff were unpredictable and often vented their frustration out on fillies randomly. One event she would always remember was the day Matron punished one of the Pegasus fillies for stretching his wings. Matron had claimed it to be an attempt to escape. The reality was that the filly had started to grow his wings and they needed regular stretching. Matron had quickly made her move. She reached him and using the simple stick most staff carry she hit him across his mouth knocking him unconscious. He was dragged away not to be seen for a week. When he did appear again he was bruised and held his wings at a funny angle, they were missing a lot of feathers were stained red in patches. Walking looked difficult for him and his face was swollen from being struck. Lyra had been crouching low on the top stair as she had watched him being taken away. She closed her eyes and trembled with fear.

"_Not doing your job ey?" _

Young Lyra opened her eyes and looked up to see a short pony she had only seen on a few occasions staring down at her.

"_I…I wa…." _Her voice failed her.

"_Well there's only one place for fillies that don't do their jobs"_ The short pony's mouth twisted into a grin. Lyra had gotten herself in to trouble.

"_Going to put you into the cell I am. That'll teach you a lesson I think"_

With that she was lifted by somepony unseen and with tears already running down her face she was taken downstairs to a room that was called the cell. It was a dark room with the floor constantly being damp. The door looked old, made from half rotted wood with rust riddled bars in the middle and locks that didn't look like they'd worked in years. Lyra was dumped inside. She was alone and crying, she had only wanted to avoid trouble.

After sobbing quietly for what must have been half an hour she looked up at the door and realised there was a Pony on the other side. Moving forward to get a better look she saw a white earth pony. He was paying no attention to Lyra as she stared at him. He was concentrating on some kind of small instrument. He wasn't very good at playing it but still, he held Lyra enthralled. She wanted to touch it, wanted to pluck the strings on it. But she couldn't. She knew if she asked anything it was likely she would get extra bruises as an answer and she knew she was already in trouble as it is. So she sat back and watched as the pony opposite her slowly got more and more frustrated at the instrument and eventually just gave up and fell asleep.

He had dropped it. He had dropped the instrument in his sleep. It had fell at an angle and bounced towards Lyras door. It was a miracle that the staff guard hadn't woken up.

Lyras thoughts were beginning to get dangerous. _I could reach it. No I could grab it._ Fighting the thoughts at first, they began to dominate her mind. Eventually getting up she reached her small hoof through the bars and stretched to touch the instrument. Her heart was racing. _What if he wakes up? I shouldn't be doing this._ She could only just touch the edge of it but as soon as she did she felt something strange about her flank. Scared she immediately retracted her hoof and moved to a corner in the room. No sooner had she sat down on the wet ground had the door opened and the short pony was standing there. Terrified he had seen her she cowered into the corner.

"_Well come on. You have work to finish" _

She didn't dare look at him fearing that her face might betray what she had just done.

"_And you!"_ Snapping at the guard.

"_You can clean this whole cell for falling asleep like that!"_

Lyra exited quickly not wanting to be on the end of either of their anger. She went up the stairs out of the cellar and quickly found something to work at. It wasn't until that night when Bon Bon excitedly pointed to her flank that she realised she had got her cutie mark.

"_Lyra? Lyyyyra? Are you quite alright?"_

Lyra shook her head as she was brought back to the present.

"_Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine, just a lil lost in thought there."_

Bon Bon gave her a quizzical look whilst Lance cleared up their plates.

"_You sure you're ok for today_?"

"_Yeah I'm fine. I was just daydreaming is all. Where do you expect we should go first?"_

Lance coughed "_Well, if I were not me but in fact you then you would go and find a Pony who is identified as Pinkie Pie. She happens to somehow managed the mammoth task of knowing nearly every pony in Ponyville."_

"_Where can we find her?"_ Bon bon was getting excited again.

"_Generally she's located in the bakery. She specialises in the two processes behind the life cycle of a Cake."_

Lyra was confused. "_She what?"_

"_Cakes. She makes them then eats them."_

Giggling slightly both Lyra and Bon Bon stood up, they were ready to leave. They thanked Lance for the food as they always did and he answered with some form of your welcome that neither of them fully understood.

They were out the faded red door and began the walk to Ponyville. The walk didn't bother either of them. They actually took it at a slow pace, trying to enjoy as much of the outside as possible. They weren't allowed outside the orphanage much as fillies so they contently took their time. Absorbing the air and the sun and always finding something new that they hadn't seen before like a new flower or a funny sounding bird. Soon enough though they reached Ponyville. Their first impressions of the town were that of amazement. They loved the houses and the tiny shops. They loved the aromas that drifted from the markets and selling stands. Nothing was dull and everything seemed friendly and welcoming. Strangers would smile at them as they walked past or occasionally say "_good day_" On their first trip they weren't sure how to react to this seemingly over friendliness. But now they looked forward to seeing the town again.

They were taking it all in again before they set off to find the bakery. As they turned off the small street they were walking on they saw the town centre. They redirected their walking to aim straight for it when suddenly behind them they heard a gasp. They turned to find a pony staring at them with her mouth wide open and eyes fixed.

"_You're new! And so are you! I don't know either of you! We should have a party! I'm Pinkie Pie, what're your names? Oh I know let me guess! Yours is…Harpy! And you're called Ribbons! Was I right?!"_

Taken aback by the sheer enthusiasm of this outburst the two just stared for a moment until Bon Bon came to her senses and decided to reply.

"_Hi ummm yes we're new, just moved here around about a week ago. My name's Bon Bon and this is Lyra. We've actually been looking for you."_

"_Looking for me? Why? Oh nevermind why lets go to my Bakery and become friends!"_

Lyra noticed that the pony was carrying a saddle bag, she assumed it was full of cake ingredients.

Within a couple of minutes they reached the bakery, it smelled of fresh bread topped with the sweet sickly smell of icing and other ingredients. Pinkie Pie led them through the front of the shop to the back. As they passed through they got a chance to see the various goods on sale. They all looked delicious to Lyra. The bakery was quaint with only a few tables scattered around, more could be seen out in the sun. There was only a couple of ponies inside. In the corner Lyra noticed a grey Pegasus staring at a muffin on her plate licking her lips.

The kitchen of the bakery was covered in flour. Pinkie Pie set her saddlebag on a long table top and began to unpack it. Lyra had guessed right there were ingredients in it.

As Pinkie Pie went over to the oven and began flicking switches and knobs she suddenly exclaimed _"So how can I help you two ponies?"_

This time Lyra spoke. "Well we uh were told that you knew everypony in town"

"_Not yet silly. There's two new ponies I'm making friends with!"_ She said this with a grin on her face.

"_Yeah, we were just wondering if you knew anyone who could hire us."_ The directness of the question caught Pinkie off guard.

"_Oh well I ummm. Hmmm, that's a tough one. What're your talents? If you guys are good at something it'll be easier to find somewhere."_

Lyra stopped to think about the question. What was she good at? She didn't know, she'd just been doing chores all her life. How could she know what she should do? Bon Bon sensing Lyra was thinking spoke.

"_Well I'm quite good at sorting various types of fabrics."_

In the orphanage she had spent hours sorting all the clothes and bed sheets of staff.

Pinkie Pies eyes lit up.

"_Oh my Celestia I know a pony who you just have to meet! She runs a fashion boutique just down that road you can't miss it!"_ She turned to Lyra and cocked her head slightly as she watched the blue pony.

"_What's your cutie mark?"_

Lyra had been staring at the floor deep in thought, looking up she realised the question was directed at her.

"_Oh it's an instrument. I nearly got to play one once."_

"_I LOVE MUSIC! Have you ever seen a pony play 10 instruments? I Have. No wait I did. I know where you can start though! There's a small shop called The Drum and Snare. It's run by a Pony called Noteworthy. He's been looking for extra help now that I think about it."_

Immediately connecting the shop to the Lyre she'd been fantasying about having Lyra nearly jumped with excitement. She wanted to get started immediately. So the two thanked Pinkie Pie and began to leave

"_Oh wait! When you're both done with all that please come back to the bakery."_

Not wanting to seem rude they agreed they would. On the way out Lyra noticed the Grey Pegasus now had three muffins instead of one and was messily eating them.

Once outside the shop they realised they would be heading in opposite directions. They agreed to split up and meet back at the Bakery after. Just as they were about to walk off a Pegasus landed right in front of them. He was wearing a suit and tie and as he landed greeted them with a friendly hello.

"_Remember me?"_ His question just hung in the air.

"_I'm Flynn Aircloud, I was one of the Ponies you saw at the orphanage when you left."_

The memory clicked with Lyra and her eyes widened in surprise. She recognised him and his voice now. He was indeed the Pony who had convinced them to sign the forms. This was the first time she got a good look at him, he was a white Pegasus with a brown mane which had a light brown streak through it. He was taller than most ponies and seemed reasonably well built. His eyes were a boring brown matching his mane. Lyra didn't much like the way he was staring at Bon Bon.

"_You were the one that said the forms were good_." Mumbled Bon Bon. A small pang of fear began to creep into Lyras mind.

"_Were they not? Are you taking us back there?"_ Her voice had a hint of desperation In it.

"_No, no not at all. There's nothing wrong I just wanted to come and see how you two were doing. I was flying overhead and spotted you."_

Lyra was still a little nervous and began to just want to leave. She thought of the Lyre she had seen and just wanted to go to it.

"_So… you two are doing ok aren't you?"_

"_Yes we're adjusting a little but we're fine."_ Bon Bons voice was softer than usual. It was the kind of voice that she normally used when talking alone to Lyra.

"_We're just heading to see about getting some jobs"_

"_Well that's good news, where are you both going to?"_

"_We're heading to separate places, Lyra is trying the music shop and I'm heading to a fashion boutique."_

"_I'm heading the way of that boutique, mind if I join you?"_

"_No, not at all_" Bon Bon sounded a little flustered. Lyra decided to think nothing of it. She wanted to go to her Music shop. She wanted away from Flynn.

"_Right well I'm going to find this music shop. See you back here later"_ She sounded a little over friendly. Bon Bon stared after her as she walked away. _Something is up with her today._

Lyra was slightly annoyed but couldn't work out why. _I don't trust him. He's one of them, one of the ponies who don't care._ _Why can't he leave us alone_? Wrapped up In her thoughts she found the music shop easily and after a lengthy conversation with Noteworthy she was told to come in at lunchtime the next day. Excited at having her first job secured and at the idea of getting bits to buy that Lyre she headed back to the Bakery. Bon Bon was waiting at a table in the sun for her. Lyras spirits lifted when she saw she was alone.

"_Did you get a job?" _Bon Bon asked excitedly.

"_Yeah I got one, had to talk him into letting me handle the shop a little bit but I got one. I start tomorrow! How about you?"_

"_Yep I met the most fascinating pony called Rarity. I'm going to be her assistant and help sort through her materials she uses to make her dresses."_

"_Oh there you both are! I've been wondering when you'd both get back! Here I made this cake just for you both! Welcome to Ponyville!" _

Before they could protest Pinkie Pie had set a cake in front of them and then disappeared back into the bakery. Lyra was ready to start eating her slice when a tiny bug fluttered down. It was a curious round bug with huge eyes. It eyed up their cake slices then in two gulps ate them both and flew off.

"That….what?"

"_Lyra I think we should go. Lets head back and tell Lance the good news."_

With that somewhat disappointing end to their day they began to head back to the half-way house.

"_Flynn was asking about the half-way house." _

Lyra didn't want to discuss the white Pegasus but decided to play along for the mean time.

"_He did?"_ Her voice sounded unconcerned.

"_Yes he wanted to know if we were coping with Lance. He said that some guests struggle to deal with his… craziness."_

"_I don't think he's crazy, in fact I like his quirkiness."_

Bon Bon picked up on the hint of brashness in Lyras voice. She looked at the pony trying to gauge what kind of reaction she'd taken. She couldn't glean anything. Lyras face was plain.

"_Lyra he didn't mean anything by it."_

"_I'm sure_." Lyra wasn't impressed. Not wanting to get into an argument she sighed. "_Let's just think about what Lance has made us for dinner later." _

Bon Bon squirmed a little drawing Lyras attention.

"_Umm Flynn is taking me out to dinner tonight. We're going to this restaurant in town." _

It was Lyras turn to stare at Bon Bon, she didn't understand. Why was she going to dinner with Flynn? Why does she even want to be around Flynn? The argument that followed was the worst that they'd ever had. They'd always stuck together. Why was Bon Bon abandoning her now? After dinner Lyra went to her room and sulked. Lance had picked up on the mood and thought it best not to get involved. He simply cleared the plates and went about his business.

It was around midnight, Lyra was lying awake on her bed, she hadn't been able to sleep she'd been so upset. She heard Bon Bons door open and close. _She's home, I should probably go talk to her. _There had been a lot said in their fight earlier some of which she knew was out of line. Reluctantly she opened her door and went to Bon Bons, slowly she turned the handle and walked in. She would never forget what she saw.


	5. Chapter 4

"_You've had enough!"_ an angry voice called over the clamour of ponies talking.

Lyra felt two strong ponies grab her, she noticed that the bar with her drink on it was sliding away and they were getting closer and closer to what appeared to be an exit sign. There was a sound of a door opening, then cold embraced her as she felt her world swirl as she was thrown out into the back ally. There was the sound of the door closing. She laid there, unable to co-ordinate her legs to stand her up. She was shivering in the cold, mind swirling. _Where had it gone wrong? _She barely managed to think about an answer before she passed out.

It had been near or around a week since she left the halfway house. She couldn't quite remember the exact day. The night of her leaving she had run all the way to Ponyville. With nowhere to go she resorted to the streets, sleeping where she wouldn't be noticed and eating what she could scavenge. By the third day she was resorting to stealing food where she could during the markets and at night rummaging through peoples rubbish. She did what she had to and she didn't care. There was a hollow feeling inside that refused to go away, it kept her up at night and made her cry until the tears couldn't come any more.

Recently she had spent her night slowly getting drunk. She'd never been to a bar before so it was all a new experience. The only reason she had gone was some colt who she couldn't remember had offered to buy her a drink. Knowing better than to turn down a free drink she went with him, soon finding he wasn't the only one who would try his luck with her. She didn't question their motives and after a while only wondered when the next drink was coming. It was her second night in the bar, second time being thrown out for her drunkenness. Passed out and alone.

When she woke she looked up to see a colt standing in the shadows of the alleyway. Lyra knew this couldn't be good but she was still too intoxicated to do anything. Grumbling she tried to stand failing to barely get off the ground.

"_Tut tut tut, a pretty mare like you shouldn't be out here in such a condition."_

The words were softly spoken, his voice speaking each word as if he enjoyed watching Lyra struggle to move.

"_You know something horrible could happen to you…"_

Lyra began to get scared, the way he said that implied that something was coming, _is he going to do something?_ She struggled harder but to no avail.

"_Oh now come on, you might hurt yourself doing that."_

It was clear now that he was enjoying himself; he began to walk towards her, slowly, each hoofstep getting louder and louder until he was standing directly over her.

"_You know some ponies might be tempted to…take advantage of you like this"_

An unnatural smile was beginning to appear as he finished his sentence.

"_But you know what? I'm feeling charitable tonight. I'll tell you what, I'm just going to leave this here and you read it when you're sober cold and hungry."_

He casually dropped a card onto Lyras face then started to walk away whilst whistling some tune. Before long Lyra could no longer hear the whistling and once again passed out. This time she didn't wake until early afternoon.

Slowly getting to her hooves she cursed the barstaff for throwing her so roughly through the door, she was mildly bruised on the flank she'd landed on. She felt as cold as the stone alley she'd slept on and her legs were stiff with her having slept on the hard stone. Glancing around she saw the card the strange Colt had left and picked it up. It was some kind of business card for some club in Canterlot. On it was the club name and address and what she assumed was the colts' name. Marius Corvette**.** After reading it the encounter came back to her and she felt disgusted. His last words stuck in her mind though _when you're sober cold and hungry. _She was all three of these things now but didn't want to be anywhere near the colt again, he had the danger factor that she had learned to pick up on. But she was cold, sober and very hungry.

Upon finally getting to her hooves and having read the card Lyra began to exit the alleyway. _I wonder what Bon Bon's doing._ Before she realised it and before she could stop herself she was was cast back to the night she left. At the orphanage being a mare was a curse. Bruises and broken bones were considered getting it easy In many instances. Often late at night room doors would be opened and one or more colts would enter. Not leaving for several hours, the ponies had learned to ignore the cries for help and the gentle crying afterwards. They daren't look or show any sign of empathy or it could be them next. It was every orphan for themselves. Lyra had learned this the hard way. It was due to this abuse that she found herself unable to be attracted to anyone. The abuse had turned her celibate. She didn't even like physical contact with anyone, apart from her only friend Bon Bon. Though not attracted to her sexually their reliance on each other functioned in ways similar to a relationship. They had always been together and though not officially dating it had always seemed to be implied.

After their argument Lyra had waited up, she needed to talk to Bon Bon, but as she opened the door to Bon Bons room she was confronted with a sight that would forever mark her memory. The sight of Flynn and Bon Bons faces joined in ecstasy together, the sight of their bodies sweating, passionately pulsing off one another as waves of pleasure overwhelmed them both had been too much for Lyra. Seeing Bon Bon willingly take what they had for years hated and rejected sickened Lyra. Bon Bon had betrayed her, cast her out and let someone else take her place. Lyra dealt with the initial hurt the only way she could, she ran and ran.

Lost in thought Lyra walked right into a tall wooden post. Shaking her head and looking up at it in confusion her eyes widened as she beheld a poster. There was a crudely drawn picture of her on it. It looked like it had been sketched in a hurry. Below the image there was a word stretching the length of the poster. Having to squint her eyes so she could focus a bit Lyra read it.

G

Lyra Heartstrings, pale blue pony with golden brown eyes, missing since Friday. If seen please contact Bon Bon or Lance at the Halfway house.

Lyra please come back, Flynn and I are worried. Please come back.

It was Bon Bons style of writing. Upon reading the poster a second time she felt anger arise. _She misses me? She shouldn't have done what she did. _ Flynns name on the poster made her angry but she quickly brought herself under control. Being as discrete as possible she removed the poster and threw it into the nearest trash can. Once she had fully cooled down she remembered how hungry she was, it was time to start sifting through trash. She could no longer go to the markets. People would be looking out for her now. She hadn't walked far when a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

"_Saw your poster"_

Lyra turned to see the Pony who had given her his card.

"_Didn't realise you were famous."_

His voice had a hint of mockery about it. He stared at Lyra awaiting a response.

He looked different from last night, perhaps it was because she didn't get a good look at him before or perhaps it was because she had been drunk. As she stared at him she noticed he was Grey in colour and his mane was a dull brown. He was wearing a fedora which had been designed to make room for a Unicorn horn.

"_What do you want?"_ Lyras voice was sharp.

"_Come on, I'll get you something to eat and we can discuss it then, I have a job offer for you."_

He turned and started walking away from her, reluctantly she began to follow. She knew she was asking for trouble by going with him, but she couldn't help it. A grumbling in her stomach convinced her that free food couldn't be turned down. _It'll be simple I'll eat then leave. He said he'd pay so why not take advantage. It's not like I have to agree to anything._

They walked in silence until they rounded a corner and could see the town square. Market stalls were buzzing and there were ponies everywhere cheerfully going about their business. Lyra hesitated, she didn't want to get recognised, not in this state. Marius kept up his steady pace.

"_Wait…"_ The word came feebly from Lyras mouth.

Not stopping Marius turned his head slightly and speaking flatly.

"_Wait here, I'll bring something back"_

Lyra was downcast looking at her hooves. She backed a little around the corner they had turned so as to attract less attention.

_What am I doing here, I should just go back and try to talk to Bon Bon. No, she replaced you. She showed how much she cared for you when she ignored you and pushed you out. As soon as we left that Orphanage she no longer cared. Eugh, what am I doing here. Why can't things be simpler?_

As Marius walked through the market stalls looking for the cheapest food to buy Lyra he was deep in thought. He had just opened a new club in Canterlot and had been on the lookout for Ponies to hire as a very special kind of staff. He was used to using certain techniques in hiring these ponies. He thought of how often he had to somewhat coerce ponies into it. But once they were in they were stuck. All he needed to do was get this Blue unicorn to his club, from there on it was easy.

He bought some cheap cold pies, when no one was looking he sprinkled some white powder on them. _She won't notice, she's starving and will eat these down in no time. _He started his walk back to Lyra with them.

She saw him approaching and she was excited to see he had kept his word and brought her food. She was again reminded by a rumble how hungry she was. Before she knew what she was doing she'd half eaten the first pie.

Marius smiled_. This is going to be easier than I thought._

Lyra had finished both pies in what felt like seconds, she was still hungry but felt much better. However she was beginning to feel the toll of tiredness creeping through her. She had barely slept in the past few days and was being reminded of it now.

"_You mentioned something about a job?"_

"_Yes I did didn't I. Well if you come and work for me you'll earn plenty of bits and you'll not go hungry again. It's a simple job really, you just tend to customers and ensure they're having a good time."_

"_How do I know I can trust you?"_

"_Well I just bought you food didn't I? What more do you want? Besides I don't think you can really be staying here much longer now can you?"_

The last question caught Lyra off guard, she hadn't thought about whether she could stay in Ponyville or not. She realised that sooner or later she would be confronted by Bon Bon. Something she didn't want to do anytime soon, not to mention the posters of her everywhere. Perhaps Canterlot could be a new start. Yawning and looking down at her hooves she felt her heart plummet.

"_I guess I can't."_

Marius knew he had her now.

"_Once you see Canterlot you'll realise how stupid it was to stay here so long in the first place. You'll be living the high life, you'll be much happier and never want for anything. It'll all be yours, all you gotta do is work a little for it."_

Lyra felt an unbearable tiredness flow through her. She thought she might fall asleep right on the spot.

"_C'mon I have tickets for the train leaving in 15 minutes. It's a fairly long trip to Canterlot, you'll be able to enjoy a relaxing sleep on the train."_

Lyras eyelids felt like they were made from lead. She nodded her head ever so slightly deciding that a warm train and sleep would be a good combination. The last thing she remembered is following Marius to the train station. It was only when she woke that she began to truly understand the mistake she'd made.


	6. Chapter 5

Lyra woke expecting to feel the numbing cold and feral smell of an alleyway. Instead she found herself alone on a bed. Confused she glanced around the room looking for any clues she could find that might trigger some memory. The room had dark red walls and no furniture. The bed had ornate gold coloured frames. It was a while before she noticed there was no widow in this room, light came from a small tacky chandelier. A plain brown door with a chain lock on it could be seen opposite the bed. Standing up she began to remember her conversation with Marius, then it hit her. She realised now where she likely was and fear began to take hold. She was in Canterlot at Marius's club, she was in trouble.

The door opened and in walked Marius.

"_You're awake. Good."_

"_Where am I?"_

"_Relax, you're in one of the rooms below my club. You're safe here."_

"_Take me back to Ponyville. I don't want to take your job offer"_

At this Marius's grin faded a little and his eyes steeled.

"_Sorry kiddo but you're stuck here. Unless you can afford the train ride back I doubt you'll be going anywhere. And judging by the state of you I doubt anywhere apart from me will be hiring you."_

Lyra looked down at herself, she was grimy and dirty, her mane was mangled and her fur was patched with dark spots. She realised how bad a situation she was in. There was no way anyone would hire her unless she got cleaned. Not to mention she had nowhere to stay even if she did get a job. Sighing she realised he was right.

"_You can't…this isn't…I…What do I do?" _Downcast she didn't know what else to say.

"_Firstly we get you cleaned up. Can't show you to customers if you're kept like this now can we?"_

Leading her out of the room he took her down a dimly lit hallway. There were doors on both sides of the corridor with the same kind of heavy doors that she saw on her own room. After rounding several corners Lyra could feel the moisture in the air. They must be near some kind of shower room. True enough Marius opened a door to reveal a large steamy room with showers lining the walls and 3 bath tubs in the centre. It was still warm as if it had been used recently.

"_Don't take too long, I'd like to have you prepped and ready for working the club floor tonight."_

"_Tonight? How long have I been out for?"_

"_Two days, now hurry up"_

_Two days!_ Lyra couldn't help but feel dismayed at being told this. _I've been here for two days?_

"_Well go on, after you finish here you can head upstairs, they'll sort you out for some food."_

After mentioning food Marius began to continue to walk down the hallway towards a set of stairs. Lyra realised how hungry she was so decided to do what he said. She spent 20 minutes in showers working her way through her mane and getting all the patches of dirt out. The shower did more than she expected. After finishing cleaning all the dirt off she spent five minutes just feeling the warm water fall against her. It was soothing and she realised she didn't want to leave, but she had to. She was hungry so she got towelled down and left. Walking up the stairs she was greeted by a small open kitchen with some tables littered about the place. It was clearly for staff use only. Heading over to the counter a rather large pony wearing a chef's hat eyed her up.

"_Yes?" _His voice was gruff and masculine.

"_I umm, I was told to come up here and…"_

"_New girl I see? Well here take some of this. Infact no you look like you could do with some more, here have some of this and this."_

He was just scooping out portions of vegetables and just dumping them on a plate. By the time he was finished there was what looked like a mountain of food. Thanking him Lyra took it over to a table and to her surprise she made quick work of finishing it all. She brought the plate back over to the chef not knowing where else to leave it.

"_You were hungry weren't ya. Well just leave your plate there."_ He said this whilst pointing to the corner of the kitchen counter.

"_Suspect that Marius will be expecting you upstairs so go on."_

Finding the staircase she had walked up she saw it went up further. Following the chefs advice she went upstairs. Little aware of what she was really about to find she walked through the first doors she saw and into a huge room with divided into three dance floors and three bars. There were raised platforms that had poles running from floor to roof around the edges of the room and behind the bars. The place was empty except for about 5 ponies; one was at a raised platform without any poles but instead with lots of computer equipment. Marius was beside him talking to him as he plugged in various wires.

Not sure what to make of the room Lyra made her way over to Marius, she noticed the other ponies which were by one of the poles apparently practising some kind of routine on it. Before she could observe much more she was at what appeared to be a DJ stand. Marius noticed her and smiled a surprisingly warm smile.

"_Ah you finally made it, get enough to eat?"_

"_Umm yes I did. What is this place?"_

"_This is my club, it only opened last week but it's become quite popular. It's slightly different from most other places."_

"_I've never been to a club before."_ She realised she was putting off the inevitable.

"_What do I do?"_

"_You? Well mmm I tell you what you stick close to this pony here and watch for tonight. I'll put you to work tomorrow. Better you have a rough idea what you're doing rather than mess everything up."_

Hearing that she wouldn't be working tonight Lyra relaxed, there was still so much to think about and she was glad she'd be getting a small break to just work some things out.

"_I…So I just stick with the DJ then?"_

Glancing over she couldn't see the DJ anymore he was out of sight banging on some piece of equipment muttering something.

"_That's the idea, then when we close up for tonight you can help clean up. I'm assuming you're smart enough not to mess that up"_

Before Lyra could reply he was already walking away, he was moving towards the ponies by the pole.

"_Hey…Hey Unicorn get around here."_

It took a second for Lyra to realise the voice was coming from the DJ. Quickly finding her way through the wires around to his side of the equipment bringing him into full view Lyra was surprised to see that it was actually a mare.

"_Hand me the yellow wire with the red ring near the tip"_

Finding the wire she handed it to the white pony. Hearing her voice again Lyra realised it did have a hint of femininity about it. Though it really sounded like a young boy it was still recognisable as being female.

The DJ clicked the wire into somewhere Lyra couldn't see then stood up.

"_Alright let's test this now see if it works."_

She seemed to be talking more to herself than to Lyra so she didn't respond. The DJ pony moved some dials on a large board filled with small knobs and switches then smiled.

"_Yes got it sorted! This is going to sound so sweet later."_

She turned and looked at Lyra. At least Lyra thought she was looking at her, her eyes were covered by a pair of large purple sunglasses making her expression hard to discern. Taking in her other features Lyra could see she had a two shade blue mane and was herself a Unicorn.

"_So, you're the newest girl stuck with me tonight. You know anything about how to DJ?"_

"_I umm no I guess not"_

"_Well then you just concentrate on watching what the other mares do, and stay behind me, don't need to be tripping over you and losing my job now do I. We won't be opening for a little while yet so you could take a look around the premises or something. I'm just going to be here perfecting all this equipment."_

"_I think I'll stay here thanks, don't want to be seen wandering."_

"_Don't want to piss of Marius?"_

That was the exact reason why Lyra didn't want to leave but she didn't want this Pony to think she was afraid of Marius.

"_Well stay if you want but I'm just going to be fine tuning all my equipment here. Oh and by the way my name's Vinyl."_

"_I'm Lyra"_

With their introduction over Vinyl went back to looking over her equipment. Lyra began to look over the club again. She'd never seen one before. It was quite dark despite the lights being on. Looking over to the Ponies still rehearsing their dance she got curious. _What kind of dancers are they?_ A few ponies came and went throughout the club, cleaning mainly and checking everything was working and Vinyl was just looking over equipment. Whilst she was watching the dancers Lyra began to think about where she was.

She had often thought about what Canterlot would be like when she was younger. She never thought that she would actually be in it herself. Though to her it didn't feel like she was in the capitol. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen it yet. Curious she thought about heading to the door but decided it would be a bad idea, a certain some pony might think she was making a run for it.

Lost in her thoughts the time passed quickly. Before Lyra knew it ponies were coming into the club. It wasn't as busy as she thought it would be, what with the size of the place and the amount of bars. Noticing her confusion Vinyl took a moment to explain a little about clubs.

"_Unlike bars people don't come to clubs until late. Just you wait, at midnight this place will be getting into full swing."_ She said this with a smile. It seemed midnight was her favourite time.

Sure enough as Vinyl predicted at midnight the club was packed. Lyra had never seen so many ponies gathered in one place all dancing and screaming to the incredibly loud music that was blaring. Lyra had never heard anything like it before. She struggled to think of what it sounded like. The only thing it reminded her of was old machinery that had gotten rusty. The thing that held her attention the most however was the dancers. She had watched them rehearse hours before but she wasn't prepared for what she saw. They were dancing in a way that made Lyra feel odd twinges inside. Strange feelings she'd never really felt. Customers were throwing bits a them and in return one of the dancers would come down and dance all over the pony. Grinding and rubbing against them whilst the music blared. Occasionally they would use the poles to perform elaborate dance moves that left them looking exposed to customers. The later it got the dirtier things became, ponies on the dance floor were now dancing in a much more suggestive way, rubbing up against each other. Before long though things began to calm down, ponies started leaving often struggling to find the doors because they'd drank so much. Many appeared to be trying to do things that should have waited until they were home but large pony bouncers managed to see them off. The night finished quickly.

By three in the morning every pony had left and it was nothing but staff. The cleaning began and Lyra jumped at the chance to actually do something. She was put to wiping down the bars, a small simple task but she was glad to get doing something.

She had just about finished when Marius came trotting over to her. He looked tired and restless. It had been a busy night and for a new club there were still things that needed fixing or tweaking to his satisfaction.

"_Well at least you're doing something. I won't be paying you for tonight, you can start tomorrow. I want you to begin as one of the bar assistants."_

"_As in serving drinks to people?"_

"_Something similar, I don't want you behind the bar just yet, you'll be servant staff. You'll assist other staff in any way they need and do any work they ask you to. Generally it involved cleaning up messes or keeping the bar stocked. The sort of thing that might distract them from doing their jobs. Think you can manage that?"_

"_I…well I guess so, it doesn't sound like too much trouble."_

"_Good, finish up here and then go get some sleep, we run on an unusual schedule due to staying open so late. You remember where your room was?"_

"_Yes. I can find my way"_

"_Good"_ With that simple reply he started off in the direction of some of the dancers that were still around. Out of the corner of her eye Lyra noticed Vinyl heading her way.

"_You did alright tonight, stayed out of my way and all. Will you be with me tomorrow night as well?"_

Lyra sensed a curiosity in the question that superseded what it sounded like. She liked this pony, she was brash but at the same time was the first pony in over a week to show some interest in a positive conversation with Lyra.

"_I might see you a little, I'm going to be working as servant staff"_

The look on Vinyls face became amused.

"_I'll have to order some drinks then. It'll be your job to bring them to me."_

She said it jokingly and with a smile. She was in a good mood, Lyra guessed she must enjoy what she does. She hadn't noticed it before but there was a musical note on Vinyls flank, like Lyra her cutie mark was music related.

"_Hey you seen Marius about? He's supposed to be paying me per night. Has a nasty habit of disappearing sometimes."_

"_Sure he went over to talk to some dancers by that stage, my guess is he's backstage or something."_

"_Aha brilliant! I'll hunt him down then, see you tomorrow Lyra"_

Before Lyra could reply Vinyl was already half way to the stage, she wanted her money clearly. Lyra decided it was bed time and headed down to her room, barely even caring how poor quality the bed was or how shabby the room was she lay down and just fell to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

"_Lyra! We need more of the sour orange mixer out here!"_

"_I'm on it!"_

Navigating her way through groups of Ponies Lyra headed for the stock room. Using her special keytag she unlocked the door and went in. Once the door closed she sighed. It was like a mini break getting out from all the noise and blaring lights of the club, even if it was just to the store room. She didn't need to search for the mixer, she knew where nearly everything was now. Sighing again she opened the door and tried to get to the bar as quickly as possible.

"_Thanks Lyra! You're a lifesaver!"_

Lyra winked then trotted on. She tried to avoid shouting as much as possible. Her voice was too soft to sustain constant shouting. She had found this out the hard way as many mornings she had found herself hoarse and unable to speak the next day.

She made her way to a stand in one of the corners; it was a place where she could see the majority of the club. The problem with her job is that she didn't officially have anything to do, she worked when others needed her so the majority of the night was spent standing by, looking for something that needed doing.

She thought back to her first night at the club and how surreal it had seemed. She had been working here roughly two months now and was well used to how things were run. She had become one of the go to Ponies that the new staff would sometimes ask for help from. A lot of staff only seemed to work occasionally, a few hours a week was generally what Lyra observed. Her thoughts became interrupted by a familiar white Unicorn pony walking over to her.

"_Hey Lyra!"_

Seeing Vinyl always made Lyra smile, they had become good friends and often Lyra found herself hoping to bump into the blue maned pony whilst she worked. Though Vinyl only worked the club twice a week she often stopped by often, giving the excuse that she was surveying the local talent. Lyra had her doubts about how valid a reason that was though.

Smiling Lyra replied _"Vinyl! Hey how you doing? Here to check on this new DJ we got I assume?"_

"_You know it!"_ came the reply as Vinyl glanced over at the brown pony at the DJ stand.

"_He's not very good if I'm honest! I'll bet Marius just doesn't want to pay out for a decent DJ because Monday nights are a drag!"_

Hearing this made Lyra laugh. _"Don't suppose you happen to know any good DJs? The one we have for Friday and Saturday isn't that great either!"_

"_Hey watch it you! What time you finish up at?"_

The question was unexpected and Lyra had to think a moment.

"_Uhhh about 10ish I guess! It really depends on when Marius calls it! No later than 11 I'd say!"_

"_Want to hang out or something for a bit then?"_

Lyra spotted one of the bar staff signalling for assistance, shame she enjoyed talking to Vinyl but she was working and Marius was a tough boss. Not fully hearing the question Vinyl asked she just threw out a reply as she started to head over to the bar.

"_Sure no problem! Gotta dash though! Work!"_

As she passed Vinyl she playfully flicked her tail up to brush Vinyls face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the pony make a sneezing motion. Giggling she headed to the bar to see what they wanted. She didn't notice the huge grin on Vinyls face, nor was she aware of how much thought and planning Vinyl had put into asking the question.

By 10:30 the last few ponies had left the club and Lyra was getting clean up sorted. She had become faster and more efficient at it than she initially was and could have the whole club finished in 10 minutes with the help of other ponies. As she was clearing some left over glasses Marius approached her.

"_Saw you talking to Vinyl earlier, you know I don't pay you to talk all night."_

"_I'm sorry, she only came over to say hello is all."_

Marius didn't scare her as much as he had initially. Though Lyra was always wary of him she had grown in confidence in her new surroundings. Sometimes she felt that she knew the club better than him but she would never dare voice her opinion.

"_You were chatting for a while, what did she want?"_

A hint of distain was in his voice now.

"_She just wanted to see if I was free after work._

"_Oh, I see. Well don't go getting any funny ideas. I've practically taken care of you so I expect you to respect that."_

Lyra knew what he was implying. He didn't like the idea of her leaving the club or meeting other Ponies. He knew she might want to return home and talking to outside ponies might just encourage her. But she wasn't going anywhere, he held her pay and she at the moment was happy to keep working in the belief that she'd be getting it one day.

"_We're just going to hang out for a while, nothing to worry about."_

A wry smile crossed his face. It was the kind of smile he wore when he was thinking of something malicious.

"_Hanging out? Well, I hope you two…have fun."_

Lyra was confused at this remark. But before she could say anything Marius was walking away, heading over to the DJ. No doubt to pay him for his nights work. _Vinyl was right. He wasn't very good at all. _

She returned to her work and soon had finished her part of the clear up. Thinking about whether to head out straight away or to go to her room Lyra decided she should check her appearance. She didn't want to meet Vinyl looking like she'd just worked a 6 hour shift clearing drinks and emptying the trash.

She got to her room and went straight to the mirror. It wasn't the same room she had initially found herself in. She had been moved to a slightly larger one with a slightly softer bed a wall mounted mirror and a small desk drawer. Marius had said he wanted her to be able to check her appearance before work. It made sense to Lyra and she couldn't really complain. The bed was softer and she liked having a few things of her own.

Looking in the mirror she checked her mane for any out of place parts. Looking at herself she noticed the smile on her face, she wasn't even aware she'd been smiling. Excitement at seeing her friend bubbled up. Not wanting to waste a minute she made her way out of her room and towards the nearest exit. _Wait, where we supposed to meet, Vinyl didn't say. _A small panic rose in Lyra. _Oh don't be silly she'll be around the front of the club surely. _

Making it to the entrance Lyra glanced about, she couldn't see Vinyl anywhere. _Oh what if she left? _Before she had time to think of what to do she heard Vinyls voice coming from across the street.

"_Hey! There you are, what took ya? It's like 11:15"_

"_Hey! Sorry, didn't mean to keep you waiting I guess things were a bit slow tonight, still made it though"_

Vinyl was smiling as she crossed the street.

"_You sure did, and don't worry about it, I'd have waited longer. Hey you hungry? I was thinking we could go grab something to eat."_

Lyra cringed a bit, she hadn't brought any bits, she didn't realise they would be buying anything.

"_Hey what's the matter?"_

"_Well I umm…It's just Marius keeps my pay, I normally get everything I need from the club directly. I'm sorry I should have realised. I can go back and see if I can get some."_

A look of understanding swept across Vinyls face. Smiling she looked at Lyra, she was so cute when she got embarrassed.

"_Hey don't worry about it, I gotcha covered. C'mon I know this sweet place that stays open late and isn't normally too busy. Well not normally on a Monday anyway." _

Feeling relieved Lyra smiled.

"_Lead the way DJ"_ she said in an excited tone.

Vinyl turned to cross the street, she knew this area of Canterlot quite well and had a surprising knowledge of various shops and restaurants and their opening times. Lyra supposed it was due to being a DJ and working such erratic hours. They walked and talked as Vinyl lead Lyra down what seemed to be a never ending journey of twists, turns and side streets until they finally arrived at their destination.

"_Ta daa! Welcome to one of the finest midnight resturanty type places in Canterlot. I swear it's totally awesome."_

Lyra wasn't sure what to expect but she was still taken aback by the building she found in front of her. Everything was at an odd angle. The windows weren't square or rectangular like normal but had different length sides, the building was only one story high but Lyra could see that there was a basement area. The door to the place was all crooked and the door handle was placed awkwardly high. There was a sign hanging which read _Tinkers House_ in gold letters placed on a green back round with a brown cog below the lettering.

"_It looks funny."_ Was Lyras only observation to Vinyl.

"_I know it's so cool though. C'mon I promise the inside is even better and warmer."_

They headed through the oddly shaped door and into what appeared to be a bar. It was dimly lit but still much brighter than Marius's club. Looking around Lyra spotted a huge assortment of odd decorations ranging from gardening tools to dresses and toys littered everywhere and many nailed to the walls. Lyra saw the odd painting here and there depicting an unusual scene. The only one that she saw clearly seemed to show a lighthouse on the moon. The bar itself was the only sane thing around. All the shelves holding various drinks were crooked and the few tables and chairs Lyra spotted seemed about to break. _This has to be the strangest place I've ever been to._

"_Vinyl how can I help you?"_ The voice cut off Lyras train of thought.

"_Hey jeff, think you can sort me out downstairs with a table for two?"_

"_Certainly just head on down, I'll bring some menus down in a moment"_

"_Thanks Jeff. C'mon Lyra let's see if my favourite table is free"_

Before she had a chance to say a word Lyra was following Vinyl to a spiral staircase which led them downstairs to an open space filled with small tables. Quaint was how Lyra decided she would describe the place, it must of only had about 10 tables and a small bar at the corner opposite the window which looked up into the street. But it was nice. There were only a few ponies in the place, all just casually chatting. Lyra decided she liked the place.

"_Hope you're hungry, I'm going to order a tonne of food, haven't eaten like all day."_

The comment didn't get a response. Cocking her head sideways Vinyl looked at Lyra quizzically.

"_Hey you alright over there?"_

"_I umm yeah I'm fine, this place is just a lot to take in is all."_

"_Yeah, I stumbled into it one morning after a hard night partying and they sorted me out for a place to stay the night. Been coming back ever since really."_

"_It has some…odd decorations"_

"_Oh yeah the owner apparently is a bit of an eccentric, never met him though. Only know some of the staff like Jeff there. Speaking of which we need our menus."_

As if he had been awaiting his cue the pony called Jeff appeared with two menus. He was quick and silent placing one in front of each pony then heading back upstairs to the bar. Glancing through the menu Lyra soon found it was written with some very strange hoof writing.

"_Well I know what I'm having, you settled on something yet?"_

Lyra was still reading the menu but soon gave up. She didn't understand half the names on the menu.

"_You're looking a bit frustrated, problem?"_

"_It's written all funny, it's hard to read."_

"_Yeah takes a while to grab the hang of this…unique style, again something to do with the owner I hear."_

"_I think I'll just have whatever you're having. I'm struggling to understand any of this."_

"_Sounds coolio to me"_

Silence followed for a while whilst they awaited Jeffs return to take their orders. Lyra decided to take a stab at making conversation.

"_So you didn't like the DJ today then? How come?"_

"_Oh he was just a little boring don't you think? His tracks were a bit predictable and he was completely misusing the faders and Synths. From what I heard he had completely screwed his sequencer."_

Lyra stared blankly at Vinyl. She had no idea at all what had just been said. Not wanting to admit it she opted to just nod her head in silence to whatever was being said.

"_He just wasn't very exciting either. I mean a DJ has got to have a presence ya know? Bleh I could talk all day about DJ stuff but I'm sure you don't want to talk about the stuff you work around all the time."_

"_I don't mind, I normally don't get a chance to enjoy the club really, always busy clearing up something or fetching something."_

"_How did you come to work at the club anyway?"_

Lyra faltered. She couldn't discuss what had happened. It would raise too many questions and she didn't want to get into trouble with anypony. Besides it was a pretty heavy story to be telling. This was supposed to be fun not depressing. Thankfully their food arrived before her pause could be noticed.

"_This smells so good! Vinyl what did you order?"_

"_It's a bit of a mash up of various veggies and whatnot, couldn't say for sure what it is but I always have it, it never disappoints. Where did Jeff go? Hey Jeff! You think we could grab some wine down here?" _

A faint reply came from behind the kitchen doors.

"_Sure just grab a bottle from the bar."_

A smile spread over Vinyls face.

"_Sweet!"_

She was quick in grabbing a bottle and bringing it back to their table. Opening it she generously poured herself some then Lyra some. Lyra had never tried wine, tasting it she thought of blueberries, it was nicer than any of the other alcohol she had had. Lyra looked up and wondered how well Vinyl could see under those goggles. They began to eat their food and a question came into Lyras mind.

"_Do you ever take your goggles off?"_

"_You kiddin? These babies are like my imprint, they're how the DJ community knows me apart from other ponies, they're a kinda signature type thing."_

"_I guess that makes sense, how long you been wearing them? You do take them off a night right?"_

Vinyl shifted in her chair a little.

"_Sure they come off at night. I broke a pair once when I was a filly because I didn't take them off. My father wasn't very happy about it."_

"_You've been wearing them since you were a filly?"_

"_Yeah…see thing is I used to get bullied because of my eye colour, it's sorta unusual"_

Vinyl shifted even more, she'd never spoken much about her eyes to any pony before.

"_Can I see them?"_

Vinyl looked nervous, she didn't really show anypony her eyes. They were her insecurity and wearing the goggles had managed to hide her insecurity whilst at the same time becoming a focus point that helps her remain well known. Taking them off just didn't feel safe.

"_I well, it's just that umm they're not normal."_

"_I'll bet they're beautiful"_

The words slipped out before Lyra could stop herself. Vinyl blushed a little and a smile was on the edges of her mouth. Reaching a hoof up she slowly removed her goggles placing them on the table. Her eyes were closed but once her hoof was back on the ground she opened her eyes and stared straight at Lyra.

Lyra was amazed, she had never seen anything like it. They were bright red, so beautiful in contrast with Vinyls blue mane. Lyra couldn't stop staring, Vinyl broke eye contact first, looking down at her food.

"_Told you they were different"_

"_Vinyl they're wonderful, I've never seen anything like it. You should go without the goggles more often."_

Vinyl was blushing deeper now, ponies had never complimented her eyes before in that way. She was lost for words and only managed a faint _"Thanks"_

Lyra could tell Vinyl was beaming inside. It showed in how she had become so shy, a complete opposite of herself normally.

"_You know, you're the first Pony I've been able to properly speak to since I got here, infact even before then."_

"_Well you're just such a pretty pony I had to talk to you."_

It was Lyras turn to blush, unable to meet Vinyls gaze she smiled and helped herself to more wine.

They spent much of the night just talking, talking about their work and Vinyls plans to start releasing some albums. Lyra wasn't ready to talk about her past though so she made sure the conversation was steered clear from those areas. Looking at the clock she realised the time. It was 2AM; they'd been there for ages just talking, long after the final pieces of food had been consumed. Realising the time they made to leave, Vinyl walked Lyra back to the club. A comfortable silence overcame them as they walked. They reached the club and stood facing each other. Lyra spoke first.

"_This was really great. We should do it again soon."_

"_Sure thing."_

Silence followed, both ponies felt like they wanted to say more but both were scared of what the other would think. Conflicting emotions arose in Lyra, she didn't want the night to end. It had been so great to just be able to talk to somepony. Vinyl had been reading Lyras body language. Trying to gauge what she would do next. _She's bound to have picked up on the hints you've been dropping. But what if you do something and ruin it. _

"_Hey um when are you going to be working the club next? Would be nice to know when I'll see you again."_

Vinyl was relieved that the silence was broken.

"_I actually think I'm on tomorrow night, Marius tends to be quite impulsive when asking me to work but I'm sure it'll be soon."_

"_Well I'd better get back inside, Marius will probably have me working early later."_

"_Alright well um I'll see you soon yeah?"_

"_Sure thing"_ Lyra said this with a wink and began to head to the door she had used to get out.

Vinyl watched her vanish inside then started to head home. _Idiot! You should have said something or done something! Ah well, atleast you'll see her soon, next time for sure!_

Lyra entered through the backdoor. _You should have made some kind of move. She bound to have picked up on your feelings after some of the things you said. _Before she could think much more one of the dancer ponies came up to her.

"_You're home late."_ Her tone was flat and unimpressed.

"_Yeah I was meeting a friend, everything alright?"_

"_Marius was looking for you, couldn't find you so he told me to tell you something."_

The pony stared at Lyra as if expecting a response.

"_Tell me what?"_

"_You're going to be dancing tomorrow instead of being a staff servant."_

Chills shot through Lyra. Her? Dance? But she's never danced before. She didn't know how, she didn't want to. The dancers had to do things for customers that Lyra had never wanted to do for any pony. It was wrong, unfair it couldn't be right.

"_But…I've never…"_

"_You'll be practising with us later today for it."_

Lyra was horrified, why was Marius making her do this? The other pony cantered off to the stairwell then went downstairs. Leaving Lyra stuck to the spot. _I'm going to be dancing. What if Vinyl sees?_


	8. Chapter 7

"_Lyra, darling. You're making it much more difficult than it really is. You just put you're right hind hoof here and move your flank like this."_

Lyra watched the Yellow pony in front of her move effortlessly through the dance steps she'd been learning. She'd come to appreciate how difficult dancing was. It was the morning of her debut on the dance floor and she had spent the previous day attempting to learn the basics of how to use the poles around the club but also how to display dance. According to the yellow Pony the dancing was split into two types, one for when the dance is just being watched by customers and the other for when a customer pays for a more intimate experience.

Lyra was currently learning the basics of the more intimate form of dance movements. It didn't come naturally to her, at least not as natural as it seemed for the other dancers.

"_It's hard! Why am I being made to do this? I do ok at being servant staff."_

"_Lyra sweetie it can't be helped. For some reason Marius has decided to shift you to our type of work so c'mon, let's try this again."_

Huffing Lyra began to imitate what she had observed. It repulsed her to think of what she was going to have to endure tonight. She found herself unable to look in the mirror and couldn't bear to think of what Vinyls reaction would be. _She's going to hate me for this. I'm going to hate me… _

"_See you've got it perfect that time! It ain't so hard is it. Now remember when placing your hoof be sure to be close enough to rub flanks, if you overstep or under step it won't have the right effect. It's like a rough caressing motion, you got it?"_

Lyra nodded, not wanting to openly acknowledge what she's just heard. It was as if she kept silent then it couldn't be true.

"_Alright sweetie try it on me, c'mon." _

Lyra did as she was told. Taking a deep breath she performed the lurid dance move on the yellow pony.

"_Good! You got it just right."_

The yellow pony sighed._ "Tell you what lets grab something from the kitchen, I ain't eaten yet."_

"_Sounds good to me."_

They casually walked towards the exit where the stairwell was.

"_So whys you on the dance floor now anyways? You anger Marius or somethin?"_

Lyra knew exactly why she was dancing. Marius wasn't angry, he was just having fun. He knew there was something between her and Vinyl. He just wanted to exploit it, twist it any way he could. That's the kind of pony he was. Sick and sadistic.

Looking at the floor Lyra Answered.

"_I dunno, perhaps he found a new pony to work servant staff."_

It was a vague answer and Lyra could hear the lack of conviction in her voice when she said it. The yellow pony raised an eye brow but didn't ask any further questions. Giving Lyra a glance she decided to concentrate on getting some food. It was nothing personal but every pony who worked in Marius's club had a story to tell. Lyra clearly wasn't going share.

They got their food from the chef and sat down at an empty table.

"_Well I'd best tell you how we work our shifts on the dance floor. Essentially, you'll be working at around 20 minutes a go with a 5 minute break in between. During this break you're expected to maintain your appearance and be ready to go out immediately. Sometimes you have to dance longer than expected, we're not exactly evenly staffed so don't expect to get a break all the time."_

As Lyra listened she couldn't help but think of what an awful situation she was in, really things could not get any worse for her. Living here hadn't been ideal but it had given her a chance to go get past what had happened in Ponyville. She was still upset by what she had been through but this had kept her mind busy. She had even made a friend. No she'd done more than just that, she'd met some pony she felt natural around, some pony she could talk to. And now this, things were going to change, for the worse. When did things ever work out for her?

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Vinyl was lying on her bed at home. She owned a small house, big enough for two she thought with an impish smile. _I know just the pony who I could share this with. _

She had bought a house in the middleclass area of Canterlot, it gave her easy access to the high end areas and the seedier areas. She worked anywhere she could and though personally enjoyed the freedom of unleashing her remixes and tracks in clubs she wasn't above helping the slightly more opulent ponies cut loose with some classical.

"_The mark of a good musician is the ability to create a love of listening."_

Though Vinyl had disagreed with her father on many subjects she tried best to honour these words for to her they clarified why she did what she did. She was a musician, and she entertained any pony who would listen, no matter the taste.

Yawning she decided it was time to get up, she enjoyed late morning lye ins but today was different, she had an important job in a club and she was preparing something special for a Pony there. Vinyl had been working on a pet project, a small piece that she planned to dedicate to Lyra tonight. She couldn't quite understand it but she knew from the moment they had met that Lyra was something special, something more than the average mare Vinyl cast her eyes on. And in Vinyls line of work she saw a lot of mares. But she had never felt anything, perhaps a small fiery lust every now and then for a physicality with these mares but never anything deeper, never a connection.

Vinyl sighed. _Lyra, Ly__ra, Lyra, tonight is the night. Tonight I'm going to play my piece and make my move! But first, food._

Vinyl headed into her small kitchen and quickly assembled a small breakfast, she was generally too lazy to cook anything substantial and right now she was itching to go over her music for the night. In particular the small segment dedicated to Lyra. Her mind again cast back to her father. In his own way he had always wanted the best for her but to him this meant Vinyl becoming a classical musician and following in his hoofsteps. No amount of strenuous training or strict lessons seemed to be able to find her musical talent. He pushed her endlessly to try new instruments and stick to overbearing lesson scheduling. Over time this had formed resentment between them. This combined with bullying about her eyes had given Vinyl a rather miserable childhood.

It didn't change much when she got older, when she began to explore new feelings and urges arising in her she found herself different from anypony she knew. All the ponies at her school were attracted to the opposite gender. But Vinyl found herself staring at the mares, she found herself creating sexual fantasies about mares she knew. How she would make them do anything, how they would please her, excite her and satisfy her urges. Being a fillyfooler had become a problem for Vinyl, it was yet another reason for other ponies to single her out if they wanted to, not that she told any pony. Any pony except for her father, whom upon hearing the news instantly threw her out. Denouncing her as a daughter, it had been the last straw in a long and turbulent relationship.

Realising she was letting her thoughts catch the better of her Vinyl began concentrating back on the task at hand, preparation for tonight's big show. She wasn't working a late shift but only covering a middle section of midnight to 2 am. This she hoped would give her time to play her piece then find Lyra who will hopefully be awestruck then kiss her. Vinyl shivered with excitement. She'd never done anything this elaborate to impress a pony but she wanted it to be perfect so she concentrated hard and began work on her music.

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Lyra stood backstage. She felt out of place and didn't know what to do with herself. All the other dancer ponies were idly checking any props they used. Many ponies wore items of clothing such as a hat or frilly leg bands. Lyra had asked why they did it and she was told that it gave them a character to perform as. They viewed their work as acting essentially. Also the customer who pays the most bits sometimes gets to keep it as a souvenir.

She was aware of Vinyl having come in at 12 to take over from another pony. She hoped that Vinyl would be gone by the time she was out there. But Lyra knew better than to hope that a DJ would be playing for only an hour. Checking a clock that stood on a table in the back of the room Lyra could see it was quarter to one in the morning. She had been told by the pony that co-ordinates all the dancers that she would be on from 1 until finish.

A sickening feeling arose in her, she just wanted to escape. She saw a fire exit and contemplated running for a second. She couldn't though; there was no way she could escape._ Where would I go? Marius has all my money and I have no idea where anything is in this City. _Thinking back to her stint as a homeless pony in ponyville she considered it in Canterlot. _No! I'm not going back to that level, I mightn't have much but I'm not losing everything._ Looking at the clock she saw it said five minutes to one. Fidgeting Lyra fixed her gaze on the curtain she knew she would be leaving out through, she willed whatever pony was already out there to not come back, to not realise it was her time off. Lyra glanced again at the clock, three minutes to one. _Oh Celestia I can't take it! Vinyl's out there, she's going to see me and hate me for this! Why? Why am I being put through this! _Looking back at the curtains the moment she had been dredging was happening. A light green pony with a long mane came trotting through; looking at Lyra she gave her a smile and nodded her towards the red curtains. Now was the moment where everything was destined to go wrong.

Lyra forced herself to start walking, reaching the curtain she faltered for a moment, she was nearly in tears. Taking a deep breath she walked through the curtain onto the other side.

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Vinyl was confused, she'd been on the decks for about half an hour and still no sign of Lyra, she'd never been working a night and not seen Lyra helping out. _What's going on? Something must be wrong. _She was contemplating whether to play her piece or not. There didn't seem much point to it if Lyra wasn't here to hear it. But she'd been working so hard on it. She had planned and re-planned tonight in her head, constantly going over the best outcomes. She knew that there was only a small window tonight for her to see Lyra. She had only managed to get this DJ time because Marius had called her in short notice to take over from a previous DJ whom for some reason had backed out.

Vinyl struggled to get absorbed into the music as she usually did. Normally once she started to DJ time would just disappear and she'd just be solely concentrated on making the tracks and remixes sound their best. She was always glancing at the digital clock that was on her laptop, nearly all her equipment had a clock of some form so it was hard to not glance at the time and then check to see if she could spot Lyra. It was approaching half past one now and still there was no sign of her anywhere. She decided she would have to play the piece she made for Lyra, there was no way she could avoid it. If she didn't then she would be five minutes short of music and though she had a massive database of music she could easily pick to fill in it just didn't feel right after all the work she'd put into it. _Fuck it, I'm playing it anyway. Perhaps these ponies won't understand but I'm going to play it._ It was approaching quarter to two now when a thought struck Vinyl.

_What if she's been moved to work somewhere else? She could be working at the bar or something. _A twinkle of hope arose in Vinyl, glancing around again but paying more attention to the places she had ignored earlier she scanned for Lyra. She still couldn't find her. _Eugh where the hell is she! Damn it, right I'm going to ask Marius after this, I want to know if he's done anything to her. _Seeing the time she knew what to do, just before the previous track ended she grabbed a microphone nearby and spoke into it.

"_This one's going out to a special blue Unicorn pony! Did it for you Lyra wherever you are! Much love!"_

The crowd cheered and any ponies that weren't already on the dance floor were running to it. Vinyls song was clearly making waves with the crowd. But that's not what mattered, with the crowd now in one spot Vinyl got a better view of the rest of the club; scanning once more she finally managed to see the pony she'd be desperately looking for. Confused she saw Lyra standing on one of the dance stages staring straight back. The song ended and Vinyl didn't know what to do. The next DJ was already setting up and was nearly ready to play. Vinyl packed her laptop up then headed over to the bar. She bought herself two Vokdas mixed with Orange juice, as soon as she got them she downed one. Taking the other she headed over to where Lyra was on stage. Unsure of what to expect she prepared herself for the worst.

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Lyra was working through her third shift. She had seen Vinyl on stage and had been watching her when she could. She was desperate to make sure the White Unicorn pony didn't see her. A couple of times she had seen the Pony looking her direction but under her goggles it was impossible to tell if she had spotted her. Lyra hated what she was doing, twice she had been forced to give intimate dances to ponies paying for them. One of them had lasted barely 10 seconds before he threw up on the floor and passed out. The second pony was too enthusiastic and when Lyra danced against him he had tried a few things on her. A large bouncer pony had removed him but cruelly only after the dance was finished.

She was working her third appearance on stage. she'd been moved to a more forward stage for this mini shift. It was then that she heard Vinyls voice over the music.

"_This one's going out to a special blue Unicorn pony! Did it for you Lyra wherever you are! Much love!"_

_She's dedicating a song to me? That's so thoughtful… She doesn't know where I am either. Wait what was that bit at the end?_

She couldn't think much, she was dancing in time with her song. Lyra was for a moment happy. Closing her eyes it was like she was dancing by herself, to music about herself. Smiling she realised she was actually enjoying it. She was enjoying dancing on stage. Opening her eyes she looked over to the DJ stand. Stood there goggles turned towards her was Vinyl. _Oh no. No no no. _Panic began to well up but there was nothing she could do but stand there, unmoving looking back at Vinyl.

"_Keep dancing!"_

"_Don't…stahp!"_

"_Yeaaaaahhh…what *hic* what they sayed"_

Looking down at the ponies below her Lyra saw an angry group staring at her awaiting her to continue dancing. With no choice she began to move again to the music, one thought occupying her mind_. I'm so sorry Vinyl…_

Lyra still had about 5 minutes on her shift but she couldn't bring herself to finish them, she ran through the red curtain and to the backstage area. Tears streamed down her face, this was too much. She'd finally hit her all time low and she felt utterly worthless and crushed. The yellow pony she'd been practising with came over to her.

"_Darling what's wrong?"_

Lyra could barely speak through the tears.

"_I…I've lost…."_

Not managing anything more Lyra fully broke down and started crying, tears streaming down her face and onto the floor in front of her hooves. The yellow pony didn't know what to say, this wasn't in her comfort zone. She decided to do the one thing she could, she headed out in Lyras place.

_I can't believe I've dropped so low. I was better off back in Ponyville in the streets._

As soon as she had thought that the yellow pony came back through the curtain. She trotted over to Lyra.

"_The DJ pony said she wants to see you."_

"…_What?"_

"_The DJ pony, the one who dedicated the song, she's out there now darling, waiting for you."_

"_But that…What did she say?"_

"_She paid for a dance. When I got close she told me she wanted to see Lyra. She seemed quite serious. You want me to get a bouncer sugar?"_

"_No…No, leave her be, tell her I'll be out in a few minutes. I need to fix, this"_ She gestured to herself.

_With a gentle smile the yellow pony began to leave._

"_Alright darling, back in a few."_

With that the yellow pony vanished through the curtain and to the dance floor.

Lyra tried desperately to calm herself, finding a mirror used to check props she did what she could to remove any evidence of tears being on her face. Beginning to think more positively she remembered Vinyl had dedicated a song to her. That meant something. But before she was ready the Yellow pony came back. Finding Lyra she simply winked and walked over to another of the backstage dancers. It was time to go back out.

"_You can do this"_ Lyra spoke to her reflection.

Pep talk over she headed to the curtain and out onto the dance floor. Straight ahead sat Vinyl, she was in the best seat to look up onto the dance floor. In front of her was a half empty glass of vodka and orange. Lyra stepped into the middle of the dance floor and slowly started back into dancing. She tried to read Vinyls expression but it was difficult in the dark club, even more so because of Vinyls goggles covering her eyes.

Lyra was unsure what to think Lyra just danced. Vinyls only move was to finish her drink then as a servant staff passed she told them to bring her another. Focusing back on Lyra dancing she smiled a little. All this was confusing to see. _Is she mad? I don't get it. _Desperately trying to figure out what was going on Lyra looked at Vinyl with an apologetic expression. The smile on Vinyls face vanished and she took a large swig of her drink. Once she had set her drink down she slowly reached up and took off her goggles, revealing those beautiful red eyes Lyra adored. She smiled a warm and curious smile at the blue dancer in front of her.

Lyra became exhilarated, something about seeing those eyes made her feel better. She knew instantly what was going on now. Vinyl wasn't mad, she was curious. _She wants to see more…Well more is what she's going to get then. _Closing her eyes Lyra lost herself in her dance moves, she was putting on a show just for Vinyl. She was doing everything she'd learned and more. Opening her eyes she locked gazes with Vinyl, making sure she knew every movement was for her.

Disaster struck, a purple pony placed some bits on the table. That meant one thing, he wanted an intimate dance. Before Lyra had taken one step to the stairs Vinyl had placed double the amount down. Glancing at the purple pony then up at Lyra she smiled. She wasn't just saving Lyra from other ponies but she wanted a dance, she wanted her chance to get close to Lyra.

Smiling Lyra slowly stepped down the few stairs to tease Vinyl, elegantly moving through the crowd she made her way to the awaiting red eyed pony. She stood opposite her for a moment. Only a moment for both of them to stare into each other's eyes, both shared a wanting gaze. Vinyl more than Lyra was hungry for physical intimacy and in her impatience she breathed heavily, anticipating what was to come she stood up from her bar stool, she wasn't going to let Lyra have all the fun.

Lyra stepped towards her, keeping in tune with the music she started off by lightly rubbing up against Vinyl whilst dancing, she was going to enjoy this dance. Soon both ponies were dancing almost as if in unison. The music beat was vibrating through the floor but both ponies were eyes closed and dancing to each other's rhythm. It was a scene of nearly pure carnality. Lyra knew that she was supposed to have stopped at least a song ago but she wasn't going to give this up. She felt an elevated sense of touch as they rubbed and grinded together. Sighing heavily she felt waves of lust pass over her like a fever.

"_Vinyl…"_

Reaching around at the climax of their dance Vinyl grabbed Lyra and pulled her into a long and passionate kiss. Lyra couldn't help but kiss Vinyl back putting all her emotion into it. Breaking for a second Vinyl whispered.

"_Lyra come back with me."_

Struggling to keep control of her emotions Lyra could only murmur back _"Ok"_

They left the club right then, not caring for anything but each other they quickly headed to Vinyls small house, together they spent the night releasing all the pent up tension and really showing eachother their emotions. It was a night Lyra would never forget.


	9. Chapter 8

"_Lyra you're up!" _

Hearing the words Lyra smiled and headed for the red curtain that led to the dance stage. She had been on her 5 minute break between dances but couldn't wait to get out there again. Heading towards the red curtain her excitement grew. On the other side the club was in full swing, music blaring and ponies everywhere dancing and drinking. None of it mattered though, not anymore. There was only one pony that mattered and she was sat at the end of the stage drink I hoof waiting for Lyra to emerge.

As Lyra stepped past the curtain she saw Vinyl right where she had been before her break. She was sitting with a huge smile on her face, she had been enjoying some of the clubs drinks and it was beginning to show. Upon seeing Lyra her face lit up and she cheered with joy lifting her half empty drink. Lyra smiled back, things were different now. When she danced it was as if it were only her and Vinyl, almost as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse.

A brown colt placed some bits on the table, smiling he expected to get an intimate dance, but Vinyl beat him to it by placing more bits down. Frowning he shouted over the music towards her.

"I PAID FIRST!"

Vinyl laughed loudly at him before managing a reply.

"I PAID MORE!"

This was her favourite part of the game. She had discussed it that morning with Lyra in her kitchen. The previous night had been nothing short of magical. Vinyl couldn't describe what she had felt but she knew now. She knew she loved the blue unicorn dancing in front of her. They had spent the early morning cuddled together ignoring the rest of the world. Finally Lyra stirred and they both awoke.

"_You know I'm going to be dancing again tonight?"_

Vinyl looked into Lyras golden eyes with her own brilliant red ones.

"_Yeah, I know. And I'm going to be there."_

Lyra smiled, she felt reassured. She didn't even ask what Vinyls plan was. She didn't need to. She knew the white mare was going to be there to look out for her and for now that was good enough.

The brown colt wandered off to another table. Vinyl had been there all night seeing off any pony who placed bits on the table. She wasn't sure how much she'd have to spend but she had plenty. She wasn't a huge spender normally and had been earning bits since she had figured how to remix music. Some colts though seemed to get as much joy out of seeing Vinyl and Lyra dance together as they did when they got their own dances. _Must be a mare on mare thing_ was Vinyls only thought on the matter.

Before she had come out Lyra had checked the clock. It was reaching 1 in the morning and this was her final dance shift. Finishing her intimate dance with Vinyl she smiled and mouthed the word finished. Vinyl shouted a reply.

"_I'LL BE OUTSIDE!"_

Lyra was quick as possible to sign out and head out to Vinyl. They were going back to hers again.

"_You know I think I might have to quit being a DJ and just steal you away from all these ponies."_

An affectionate smile crossed Lyras face.

"_I give you my full permission to steal me. Anytime." _

Laughing the two began the walk to Vinyls house.

"_Hey are you working tomorrow? It's just if you're free I was thinking we could do some things in the day?"_

Lyras smile changed from affectionate to naughty. Raising an eye brow she slowly replied.

"_Things eyy? Well I guess I could always free up my schedule for…that."_

They both laughed.

"_Haha! I don't think being the dirty one suits you Lyra, best leave that up to me. *Hic*"_

"_Meh, was worth a shot. Though to be honest I'm not sure, Marius hasn't told me if I'm working or not. But you know what it's like, he sorta assumes I'm on."_

"_Well if that's the case then it's his fault if we *Hic* assume you're not on."_

They were laughing again. They couldn't help it. When they were together even the most threatening of situations just seemed laughable.

"_Hey how many bits did you spend tonight anyway?"_

"_Hmmm hard to say, I sorta began to lose track a bit. Still got plenty left though."_

They passed a small bakery, under the window was a small homeless pony. There were a few of these ponies around Canterlot. There were programs in place to help homeless ponies get back into society life but in some of the more deprived areas like the one they were walking through now the help just couldn't reach them.

"_Here you count them."_

With that Vinyl used her magic to drop a bag in front of the homeless pony. As the bag hit the ground there was a large clang, the bag must have had at least 150 bits in it. To give away that much seemed like madness. The homeless pony was covered in dirty blankets and was sitting in a shadow. A gasp could be heard when the money was dropped. The small pony was overcome with this random kindness but Lyra and Vinyl had walked on before a thank you could be uttered.

They reached Vinyls house within minutes. As they walked up the stairs Lyras mind drifted back to the homeless pony. They reached Vinyls room and entered. Vinyl reached her bed, taking her goggles off she turned to look at Lyra. Vinyls smile faded a little. Lyra looked deep in thought.

"_Lyra?"_

Looking into space Lyra replied, she sounded distant.

"_I was like that once."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Homeless. I was homeless once."_

The mood of the two ponies changed, the giggling and smiles had stopped. Lyra hadn't said much to Vinyl about her past. Infact anytime Vinyl had brought up why Lyra worked at the club she had generally been batted away with a wide open response. Vinyl had decided to just let Lyra have her secrets, it didn't bother her. She knew what it was like to not want to open up about the past. But she knew something was different now, Lyra was ready to talk.

Vinyl jumped onto her bed and motioned for Lyra to join her. Unsure of how to approach the subject Vinyl decided to just ask the obvious.

"_What happened to you? Before you came here."_

"_A lot of things I guess. I…just…I'm sorry, I…"_

Lyras voice was beginning to crack. Small tear trails began to glisten in the soft light. Vinyl moved closer, lightly brushing Lyras mane with a reassuring hoof. She closed her eyes slowly nuzzled Lyra.

"_It's ok Lyra, it's ok, I'm here."_

Vinyl was acting purely on instincts, she'd never been this close to anypony before and certainly never in this situation before. She felt helpless.

"_It's just…this is all…such a…mess!"_

Lyra couldn't hold back anymore. Tears began flowing down her cheeks and she buried her face in Vinyls mane muffling her cries of anguish. Feelings and emotions she'd not realised she'd been holding in were pouring out. In an instant Lyra realised she missed Bon Bon. She missed her childhood friend, she missed everything. Burying her face into Vinyls mane she let it all flow through her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

The crying had stopped five minutes ago but Vinyl had been reluctant to break the silence. Instead opting to just hold on and lightly run a hoof through Lyras mane. It wasn't until she stirred that Vinyl tentatively spoke.

"_Lyra?"_

Lyra backed up a little and raised her face to look at Vinyl. She wiped away the tear marks on her face.

"_I'm sorry. I just. I just saw that pony and got to thinking."_

"_What's going on? You can tell me"_

"_I…Well, it's. It's hard to know where to start."_

Vinyl was silent. She knew Lyra just needed a minute. She just had to be patient.

"_When I was younger I had a friend. We went through some…tough times, together. But things got bad, really bad. I left and ended up here. Though I guess it's not been all bad here. I've met some interesting ponies." _

A half smile crossed Lyras face as she said this looking at Vinyl.

"_I just…I miss her."_

Vinyl was unsure on how hard to push the subject.

"_How come you ended up working for Marius?"_

A distant looked overtook Lyras face. She couldn't work out where to start with it all. Finally she gave up and decided to tell everything. Over the course of two hours Lyra spoke about everything from the events at the Orphanage to Flynn and Lance to being homeless and ultimately how she ended up in Canterlot. It was a long story and it took Vinyl a while to fully absorb it all. She'd never heard a story quite like it and found it difficult to see how anypony could survive through most of it.

"_Lyra I had no idea…"_

"_Yeah I know. But it didn't work out so bad really."_

"_How you figure."_

"_Got you didn't I?"_

Vinyl blushed. She hadn't been expecting that comment. Smiling she felt her mood lifting a little.

"_Well I'll just have to make sure and be worth it"_

Laughing a little now Lyra began to smile.

"_You know, honestly, I don't think I'd have lasted long here if we hadn't of met. Despite all that stuff in the past I think I might still be the luckiest pony ever."_

Vinyl blushed deeper red now.

"_C'mon you're making me out to be some kind of pony princess here."_

"_You are to me"_

"_Awk stop it you, you're making me go red."_

"_Suits you" _

Lyra yawned, she wasn't sure what time it was but she was ready to fall asleep_._

"_Tired?"_

"_Yeah, been a busy night tonight. There was this mare there that I had to dance for repeatedly"_

"_Hey, you liked it"_

"_Yeah, worth every bit."_

Lyra clamoured under the bedcovers and closed her eyes. She felt Vinyl cuddling against her. Together the two ponies quickly fell asleep. Lyra drifted off to dreams of the past whilst Vinyl dreamt about being a princess.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_Got any idea what you fancy?"_

"_It's hard to choose. There's so many different things."_

"_Well I'm going all out! Only the largest ice cream sundae is going to satisfy this DJ!"_

"_Well in that case I think I'll join you, I'll have whatever you're having."_

Vinyl laughed.

"_You sure you can handle the sheer awesomeness of this sundae?"_

"_Hey if you can manage it then so can I"_

Lyra pretended to stamp her hoof down on the table they were sitting at. They had woken up early and had been spending some quality time together. Enjoying various parts of the city Lyra and Vinyl had stopped for some much needed midday ice cream. The café was small and the sun was out so they had sat themselves outside so as to enjoy the weather.

A loud crashing noise drew their attention. Some poor white unicorn pony with a purple mane had walked into another pony. There were what appeared to be clothing materials everywhere. Lyra and Vinyl looked on mildly bemused as the purple maned pony spewed out apologies. Losing interest quickly Vinyl decided to bring up something that had been bothering her all day.

"_You know last night?"_

Lyra's expression became slightly sterner. Her eyes lost a bit of their glimmer.

"_Yeah…about it?"_

"_Well I've just been thinking. I think umm, I think we should go to Ponyville."_

Lyra was shocked, she had never expected this from Vinyl.

"_What?"_

Vinyl shifted nervously, she knew this was a delicate topic and if she wasn't careful she'd likely upset Lyra.

"_Well it's just after everything you said last night. I've just been thinking maybe we should go back. I think you should see some of the ponies you mentioned. I think it'll make you feel better. You said about how you missed them, I'm sure they miss you too. Lets quit this place and go back. "_

Lyra wasn't able to say anything. She was stunned at the amount of thought Vinyl had put into this. A small fiery anger began to arise in her but was halted. She knew that Vinyl was right. Whether she wanted to hear it or not, she had to go back.

"_Well…I dunno what to say really. I guess you're right"_

Vinyl relaxed, she had been clenched up in anticipation of Lyras reaction.

"_You'll get to leave that club too which is like a bonus."_

"_Yeah, though I'm not sure how Marius will take this exactly, I told you how I ended up here."_

"_Hey don't worry, I'll totally be there to knock him out if he needs it. Actually can I just knock him out anyway?"_

"_LYRA!" _

They knew that voice. It couldn't be. Not right now, not whilst they were discussing him.

"_LYRA WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" _

It was Marius. He was running towards them and looked furious. His mane lashed the air as he charged towards them.

"_M-Marius…I…"_

He was getting closer, he must have been 10 meters away now and seconds away from reaching them.

"_YOU SHOULD BE AT WORK!"_

He was 3 meters away from their table.

"_I…I'm sorr-"_

He reached their table and went to raise one of his hoofs to strike downwards when out of nowhere a small glass flew over Lyras head hitting Marius square in the face. The glass shattered with small fragments flying in every direction.

"_ARG! WHO THE FUCK THREW THAT?!"_

Marius barely managed to finish his sentence when a pony covered in a hooded coat kicked Marius so hard on the jaw that he landed facing the other direction. He was out cold and by the sound of the kick was now going to suffer a broken jaw bone. Lyra was frozen to the spot, partly from fear partly from surprise. Vinyl spoke first.

"_Well…umm…what?"_

The hooded pony turned around to face her.

"_You gave me some money last night."_

Surprise and shock enveloped Vinyl. She couldn't figure out what to say. Lyra however felt uneasy. She knew that voice. The pony turned to look at her. Removing his hood Lyra found herself staring into a face she knew well. It was Snaptrap.

Lyra screamed. Never had she ever imagined coming face to face with this pony again. All her past memories of him came flooding back in perfect detail. This wasn't right. _How could he be here? How could he be homeless? Was he going to hurt her?_

Snaptrap spoke exceptionally fast in an attempt to contain Lyras panic.

"_Lyra please, I know this must be scary but please I don't want any trouble."_

_Her? Give him trouble? He's gone mad. He must be insane. _

"_Lyra who is this guy?"_

"_That's him…That's the pony who managed the orphanage." _

Sudden realisation dawned on Vinyl and she quickly moved infront of Lyra, standing between her and Snaptrap.

"_What do you want?!"_

"_Please I don't want to be a problem. I just…I needed to talk to Lyra."_

"_She doesn't want to talk to you man. You should get going…"_

"_Please…I need to"_

"_Don't you get it? She doesn't wa-"_

"_Vinyl wait. I'm ok, it's ok."_

Vinyl looked back at the blue unicorn.

"_Lyra you sure?"_

Calming herself Lyra took comfort in being in a public space. Slowing her breathing down she answered as best she could.

"_Yeah it's ok. Things are different now. Besides, you're here."_

Her voice was timid and shy sounding. Though the presence of Vinyl did give her more confidence. Out of the corner of her eye she could see some guards approaching. Evidently someone had told them what was happening.

"_I think we'll have to deal with these guards first."_

Snaptrap looked over his shoulder at them.

"_Leave it to me."_

With that he trotted over to the large Guard Colts. They were out of earshot from Lyra and Vinyl but during their conversation the guards would glance over occasionally at them. Snaptrap must have been talking for 5 minutes when he turned and started walking back to them. The guards went to pick up Marius and drag him away. Vinyl waited for Snaptrap to join them before asking what was going on.

"_Well?" _

"_They're arresting him. They say other ponies had reported something happening and had seen it all. They want me to go in later to talk to them about what I did."_

Lyra spoke up. _"Can we go somewhere? I feel too open here."_

Vinyl looked at Lyra a moment before saying anything.

"_How does Tinkers House sound? I could do with a drink to be honest."_

"_Sure"_ Lyra couldn't think of what else to say.

They reached the Bar/restaurant and walked in. Vinyl went straight to the bar whilst Lyra picked a table to sit at. Snaptrap followed her allowing her to choose where they sat. She picked a corner table at the far end of the room. As they sat down Vinyl approached with a pint glass. Once they were all sat down both Vinyl and Lyra simply stared at Snaptrap.

"_I know this is difficult for you, I'll try and be as quick as possible. Firstly, everything that happened in the past. I know I can never truly atone for it, if there was anything I could do to change it I would. But please just know that I truly am sorry. I…I was cruel beyond compassion or understanding. I…I did things. Awful things, things I'll never get over. But it's in the past, I can't change it. It'll probably gratify you to know that soon after you and Bon Bon were given your release we were shut down. A large investigation began and the orphanage was closed soon after you both left."_

Lyra was trying to understand what was happening. She was angry but also sympathetic. It wasn't in her nature to be angry but this pony had put her through the worst times of her life. In a way he was responsible for everything that has led Lyra to where she was. Knowing this didn't make it easy for Lyra to be mad, on one hand she had suffered. On the other she had gotten Vinyl.

"_Is that how you became homeless?"_ Lyra asked. Vinyl was quiet, she didn't feel this was her battle. This was between Lyra and Snaptrap.

"_Sort-off. When they investigated us they went all out. I think they knew what was going on but only now decided to act on it. They arrested me and the rest of the staff. Most of them only got punishments handed down from Administration. I however was sentenced from Celestia herself. I got the Brand."_

Vinyl spilt her pint when she heard this.

"_You got the brand? I thought that was just a myth!"_

"_No it's very real but only used in extreme cases."_

Vinyls jaw dropped. She couldn't believe this. She looked at Lyra only to see a puzzled expression on her face.

"_What's the brand?"_

Vinyl looked towards Snaptrap. He fidgeted, reluctant to explain it. But he knew he had to.

"_The brand is a kind of magic curse. Celestia owns a set of brands magically embued with the ability to strip a pony of the natural magic that flows through us all. They work like any normal brand but being super-heated. They're then applied to a ponies cutie mark, they burn the mark out and burn the magic out." _

As soon as he finished he motioned to take his coat off. Once it hit the ground Lyra and Vinyl gasped, they were confronted by a large scarred section on Snaptraps flank. The flesh was burnt and convolted. It looked unnatural and extremely painful to have received. The burns looked like thy had gone deep.

"_That's…horrible…I'm so sorry"_

Lyra caught herself before she said any more. She had just apologised to Snaptrap. She had just shed some sympathy for him. Remembering his past made her want to hit him, but seeing his mark made her feel sympathy. It must have been agony to receive.

"_I didn't know that we had punishments like that. Celestia herself too."_

"_Hey, don't let it fool you, I know I deserved it, still do. Don't let this scar fool you into forgetting the past. I deserve what I am. But anyway, I got marked and stripped of any belongings or money. I essentially became what I am now, I spent many weeks just wondering around Equestria. Eventually I ended up here. Last night…I couldn't believe my eyes when you both passed me. I…I couldn't think of anything to say. Then today I saw that Pony coming at you and I had to step in."_

"Thank you, for that. I know it's not much but that Pony had it coming."

Vinyl scoffed. "Yeah and he's got much more coming."

"Who was he?"

"My employer, he runs a club and I've been forced to work for him."

Over the next half hour Lyra explained how she had ended up working for Marius to Snaptrap. He ws astounded that her and Bon Bon had been split. They had always seemed unbreakable together to him. Eventually he realised he had to go report to the guards. Before leaving he explained he wanted to meet them again. He still had more to say and explain. Lyra agreed to meet the next day. Watching him leave the bar she looked at Vinyl.

"_It's odd, I have a good feeling about this you know."_

Vinyl gave her a quizzical stare.

"_I think this is a sign, things are going to change."_

"_Don't think I would mind change."_

Vinyl went to order them both a pint of apple cider. Leaving Lyra with her thoughts.

_Change, maybe this time it'll work out._


End file.
